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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22480519">Fate or Chance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stephanie_Hearthlight/pseuds/Stephanie_Hearthlight'>Stephanie_Hearthlight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fate or chance [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Bee Chloé Bourgeois | Queen Bee, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Daminette, Dragon Kagami Tsurugi | Ryuko, F/M, Fox Miraculous, Friendship, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi salt, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Love, Mother Love, Protective Damian Wayne, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:15:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>65,122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22480519</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stephanie_Hearthlight/pseuds/Stephanie_Hearthlight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The sweet irony almost makes Marinette laugh.<br/>And to think that the little Parisian had to leave the city of love and reach the city of crime to find true love.</p><p>Damian, on the other hand, didn't know who to blame.<br/>He only knew that he had fallen before the spell of that pair of blue eyes that did not come out of his mind, bringing light to the darkest city in America.</p><p>Marinette is, despite being hurt, a kind heroine whose soul is as pure as an angel.</p><p>Damien is generally sullen with everyone. A vigilante who learned what human relationships mean a little late. As fierce as a demon.</p><p>None of them knows exactly how, but they find their other half in the least likely person.</p><p>Fate, chance or ...?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fate or chance [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039353</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>264</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1762</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Marinette has grown, has matured little by little and the pain she is once felt because of Lila Rossi, instead of turning off her light, has made her stronger, braver and more empathetic.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Although Lila triumphed by stealing her class's attention and making her look like a villain, she found those whom she could call true friends, those whom she trusted in fulfilling their mission.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, she is at a crossroads. Her powers are growing in an unprecedented way in which even Tikki does not fully understand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her friends are in similar situations but none at the level of the ladybug miraculous holder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Add that to the pain that Marinette feels when she sees Paris terrified by a megalomaniac villain who believes that, in order to fulfill his wish, it is OK to take advantage of people's negative emotions.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Paris suffers, and the worst part is that nobody can deal with their emotions in a healthy way without risking being akumatized.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette, tired of the situation, decides to seek the help of the justice league, particularly Batman and Wonder Woman. The best detective in the world and the princess of the Amazon may be the solution they are looking for.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She doesn't look for anything else, but by fate or by chance she found him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Damian Wayne is no longer the same sullen child who arrived at his father's house after being raised by murderers 7 years ago. He is still unfriendly and usually cold, but he has learned little by little to love his family, teammates and whom they can call friends (self-proclaimed); however, he was not ready to lose himself in the eyes and smile of an angel he did not expect in his life.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The totally new sensations he is being overwhelmed by, but he is not willing to let her go.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Robin just wanted to know why that little Parisian with extremely blue eyes was able to defend herself so well in the city of crime, he did not imagine ending up discovering a villain who terrified a city in search of a selfish desire that can end the world as it is. He seeks a solution to the problem, but by fate or chance he found her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now it is up to them and all their allies to put an end to the matter and maybe, just maybe, discover what will become of the two. Because what they know for sure, now that they've met, they don't plan to let go.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I will like to thank AegyoButPsycho for helping me to edit the chapter as my beta, thanks a lot.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Under the beautiful sky of Paris, the city of lights and love, three sweet maidens gathered on a beautiful terrace overlooking the city and surrounded by the flowers of the place, were having an important discussion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I honestly believe that we should put a snake in her backpack."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Chloe, no."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"True Chloe, where are we going to get a snake?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kagami! That's not the point."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's ask your boyfriend to get us one, I'm sure he could."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can't be serious! Stop it girls, let's go back to work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The snakes that Luka may or may not get are out of the question."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It would be mean to the poor little creature just by seeing that bitch. What if she eats like the witch she is?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kagami!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay, forget what I said before. The truth is that the three teenagers had started an important conversation, I promise. But the subject of a certain liar, who made life impossible for the 'voice of reason' in the singular group, had come up. For Marinette Dupain-Cheng to be the voice of reason in the group goes to show how SERIOUSLY unique they were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like their conversation, that group of friends was a sight to behold. If you were to tell anyone three years ago that those three were going to become best friends, one would have attacked you with her sword, the other would threaten you with her daddy after calling you ridiculous, and the kindest one would laugh in your face at the idiocy of the suggestion. Heck, they themselves believed that they would never be tolerated by the others. But here they are, best friends, the kind of best friends that help you deal with the bully of your class by putting a snake in the backpack of that lying witch. You know, the good kind of friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time had passed, had made them mature and bloom in beautiful young women; wiser, kinder, the best versions of themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay, if we can't get a snake, can we at least put a rat in her backpack?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever, let's forget about the 'kind' thing, but please, we're talking about Chloe Bourgeois. She used to be the most spoiled girl in all of Paris.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The truth is that Chloe had learned from the force of the blows she received in life and that it was not excusable for her to take it out on others in order to compensate for the attention her parents never gave her during her childhood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She started realizing this after being akumatized while using the bee miraculous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She admired Ladybug and wanted to be helpful, but Ladybug would not consider a capricious girl as a partner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, there was her mother's return. Although their relationship had not been the best at first, with Chloe trying by all means to please Audrey, the fact that she seemed to want to leave Paris as soon as possible, Audrey choosing Marinette over her own daughter and the fact that they had connected for the first time through the fact that they were both bossy and mean. Over time, both had started to take a healthier approach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curiously, the conflict that brought them closer had occurred because of Lila Rossi and had been resolved thanks to Marinette. It happened two years ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was during a design competition organized by Gabriel Agreste in which Audrey Bourgeois was one of the judges. Lila Rossi had tried to mislead Chloe and Marinette, who had been recommended by Gabriel to help one of the participants, in addition to hurting one of the models that had become firm with Lila.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The result had been a poor akumatized girl and an open-hearted talk between mother and daughter mediated by Marinette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the end of the day, Lila had been taken off the runway, and so the designer that Marinette worked with needed two models. It had been Chloe's debut in the world of professional modeling and the first and only time to date of Marinette as a model.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Audrey, for the first time, had been proud of someone else's achievement, her daughter's.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day both had gone to the bakery of the Dupain-Cheng family and, while Chloe apologized between tears in Marinette's arms, Audrey also cried in Sabine's arms while she was comforting her and giving her advice about their mother-daughter relationship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A while later Kagami and Tomoe Tsurugi, who had begun to approach each other since the Ikari Gozen incident (also with the help of Sabine and Marinette), had found themselves joining the pretty unique group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later on, with Marinette as the new guardian, she trusted her instincts and made Ryuko and Empress Abeille, Chloe's new hero name, into permanent heroes alongside Viperion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the passing of time and due to a certain akuma, who had been the strongest and scariest so far, she decided that she would follow her own rules as the new guardian and revealed her identity to the new heroes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Although she had doubts at the beginning, she was grateful to have made the leap of faith.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She now had friends who believed in her over anyone and supported her in her two lives.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So there they were, while their mothers talked on the first floor, the girls discussed what to do about HawkMoth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The same akuma that made Marinette reveal her identity to her friends had put her at a crossroads and she realized something. She could no longer do this alone. Although she now had the support of her friends, they were still teenagers. They needed help, they needed guidance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To make matters worse, Marinette had the luck, good or bad is up to you, to choose wielders who were in perfect tune with their kwamis. Generally, that would be good, the problem is that it came with certain peculiarities.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some were small and simply curious, like the fact that Kagami had become a fan of spicy food and that Chloe couldn't live without her honey and chamomile tea, or that Luka used to eat a lot at breakfast but rarely ate anything else for the rest of the day. Like the fact that Nathaniel, the new wielder of the fox, suddenly had the desire to play jokes (harmless though) on his comrades, or Marinette herself who was now attracted to plants and they reacted well to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Others had become powerful weapons during their battles, such as the fact that now the three heroines had developed wings corresponding to their kwamis and, with them, the ability to fly. Like Luka, who sometimes had dreams about the future, or how Nathaniel became extremely cunning in battle and created much stronger illusions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But others, others were simply dangerous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ryuko's eyes had become extremely sensitive and a strong flash could leave her almost blind during battle. To Kagami, a camera flash could make her eyes hurt a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luka had also gone through something similar but with his ear. His ability to capture sounds could play against him. If the sound was very strident, Viperion would end up dizzy or disoriented. As Luka, it was not as strong and he could continue with his music but he became irritable when someone woke him up noisily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In Nathaniel's case, it was his sense of smell that had sharpened. Feu Fox, his hero name, was prone to dizziness in environments full of different scents and he personally could not tolerate foods with strong aromas (so he and Plagg could not eat nearby).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The worst affected were Chloe and Marinette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both had discovered that they could not live without plants around them. If they were in a place that didn't have a single flower, they felt dizzy and anxious. Chloe had to put a couple of potted flowers into her room, she also was now prone to stress and insomnia. Sometimes they had to force her to go to bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette, on the other hand, had begun to have impulses of inspiration that took her to sleepless nights. Besides that, she became really tired during cold weather, almost like in hibernation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So yes, they needed help, and that's how they got to where they are now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kagami had a fencing competition to attend, a competition in Gotham city, home of Batman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wanted the girls to go with her, find the dark knight and ask for his help as a detective to find HawkMoth once and for all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Back on topic girls, what do we do now?" Marinette managed to make her voice heard above the evil plans of her friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have to go and yes, I understand that Paris needs Ladybug, but I need my friends with me." Generally, Kagami wouldn't be so demanding with her friends, but she wanted to get them out of this toxic environment, even just for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maribug, you deserve a break. I'm sure Sabine will accept, we are going with Tomoe after all." Chloe knew they'd have permission from their mothers to miss school for the month and a half that the trip would last. "Besides, if we are going to look for Batman, we need our leader with us."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't even know how we could approach him, what if he doesn't believe us?" Doubts filled the young designer's mind. After the little number that Lila had played with her self-esteem, she now believed that no one would believe her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's the best detective in the world, even if he doesn't, he'd investigate the matter before deciding. Not like others who simply reject without checking." Chloe's father had tried to contact the Justice League some years ago and Green Lantern had rejected him saying they had no time for jokes. "We also need to contact Wonder Woman."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was another matter. Tikki had suggested seeking help from the heroine as she felt the connection between her and her former wielder Hippolyta. Although they didn't know if Hippolyta was still alive, they counted on her having left some record of her time as Ladybug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They needed the knowledge of a veteran and, since they could no longer go to Master Fu, Marinette really wanted to get some kind of information to help her understand what was happening to her and her friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To make matters worse, Chat Noir would no longer help. Seeing the ring gave Marinette a bad taste in her mouth and realizing that Adrien would no longer be a hero just made it worse. Many things had happened...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What if there's an attack and we're not here? Who would cast the miraculous cure? Who would fix everything?" Marinette asked with a worried expression. "Don't get me wrong Kagami, I want to be there for you, but Paris needs Ladybug as you said."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But what does Marinette need?" Chloe asked, taking her hands. "If you continue like this, giving and giving without stopping, you'll run out of Maribug."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Chloe is right Mari-hime, when was the last time you did something you would really enjoy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I enjoy being with you, does that count?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Agh, don't try to be cute to get out of this Maribug." Chloe scolded while rolling her eyes. "We need a break away from that charm-speaker."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't call her that, Trixx is going to get mad." Kagami said, smiling. "But seriously Mari-hime, even I have taken breaks to do things that I like from time to time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And no, Marinette, the time you spend designing doesn't count." said the young blonde, seeing that Marinette was going to protest. "That is work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But I enjoy it…" Marinette protested with a pout. Seeing the serious faces of her friends, Marinette knew she had lost. "Tikki, you've been silent during the whole conversation." the girl pointed out. "What do you think?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kwami of creation left the cookie she was eating and approached her chosen one, Pollen and Longg following her example. Tikki stared into her eyes before speaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You deserve a break, there have been seven times when you were almost akumatized because of that little liar. Above all, Marinette, you're still a teenager and need help from someone with more experience. If Batman and/or Wonder Woman can give it to you, it is worth trying. That one there is an extremely heavy load," Tikki pointed to the miraculous box. "Seek help. Take Kaalki and, with the Akuma Alert, the three of you may return if necessary."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But now I'm not only Ladybug but also the guardian."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Above all things you are Marinette." Tikki said with love. "Do not neglect your life outside the mask. If you want to go, go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette was silent for a few moments. This is one of those moments where she felt she was in front of crossroads, she had to make a decision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watched her two friends looking at her expectantly. Sighing, she did what she had been doing since she became a guardian. She trusted her instincts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Smiling she told them, "Well, Gotham City here we come!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks a lot for the support and the comments on the prologue. I really appreciated. If you had any suggestions at any time please let me know.<br/>This is the first chapter and I am already struggling to take some decisions and I will greatly appreciate you opinions.</p><p>On this fic as you may noticed, Chat Noir will loose the black cat miraculous. What I haven't decided yet is if I should make this a bashing Adrien or if I make him release the miraculous willingly.</p><p>Another thing is Nathaniel, before season 2 I pictured him as the fox. I mean all the fan arts  online prove that I am not the only one. So another thing that I kind of fantasized before was the Chloe x Nathaniel couple. Now, I know that in canon the couple Nathaniel x Marc is practically canon. So I don't know if I should make this a ChloexNathaniel or if I should do it NathanielxMarc. Let me know what you think.</p><p>The third point I wanted to touch is this, this is a daminette fic, so I will try to focus on that, however when I was creating this fic I tought in at least 3 side stories. One for a conversation between Jean the butler an Audrey, another for the  runway show and another for the miraculous side effects. </p><p>So I decided that I will write all of this on another fic, I don't know yet the name or the time it will be released but I let you know for you to check.</p><p>I think that's it so, farewell fellows.<br/>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Batfam time!!<br/>As well a little bit of Damian squad<br/>Edited with the help of <br/>AegyoButPsycho<br/>Enjoy</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Damian Wayne was not the same sullen boy who had arrived at his father's side more than seven years ago. Anyone who compared Damian at that time with Damian now could tell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The change had not been overnight, no, it had been slow and even painful. Damian had to root out the ideals with which he was raised, forget the voice of Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul and even Bruce Wayne who were always in his head to find his own voice, a path acceptable to Damian, for nobody else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy had matured and had become a young man who had completely left behind the teachings of the League of Assassins.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Drake, I swear if you do not give me back my katana right now, I am going to mutilate you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, almost completely, but please, we've all threatened our siblings with death at least once. The thing is that, although Damian and his brothers' relationships have improved enough to call them brothers (in his mind of course, the boy had a reputation to care for) there were still disputes between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In particular, between Damian and Timothy Drake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can try if you want, Demon Spawn."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm serious Drake, I have to go out so give me back my katana right now or else…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Or else what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Or else you can say goodbye to your coffee reserves hidden in the cave."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You wouldn't dare!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you want to take that chance?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim watched the remote in his younger brother's hands. He sighed and returned the katana.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you are going to meet your friends, what the hell do you need your katana for?" asked Dick Grayson, who found the game of cat and mouse between his two little brothers entertaining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You never know." Damian replied as he wrapped his katana.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you ask me-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No one did, Todd."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The little devil's katana is like his teddy bear," Jason Todd said mockingly. "I bet he sleeps with it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I do not sleep with it." Damian complained. "I just keep her at the reach of my hand."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's not good little D." Dick said worriedly. "You could hurt yourself or hurt someone else one day."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let him be, Dick." Jason said. "As things are going, we take for granted that his katana is the only company in his room that the dwarf can get."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"JASON!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"TODD!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You all know it's true." Jason scoffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The chances of a girl showing a sincere interest in the little demon are almost zero." Tim confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't listen to them, Damian." said Dick, hugging Damian's head. "I know there's a girl out there who will love you and your katana."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not interested, Grayson."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Interested in what?" From the entrance of the bat cave, Bruce Wayne looked in with a three-year-old infant in his arms while the little girl slept. "Is there something going on Damian?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Only the delusions of Grayson and the immense stupidity of Todd and Drake." said the young Wayne as he approached his father, katana in hand. "Nothing to worry about father."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We were discussing the non-existent sex life of the Demon Spawn."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Todd, if you don't shut up…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Something worrying you son?" Bruce asked his son, concerned. "If you need advice about girls, I could-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you really want to discuss this while carrying Helena, father?" interrupted the boy while pointing to the still sleeping girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Helena Wayne, daughter of Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, and Bruce Wayne, or Batman. She had come into the lives of the bat family three years ago and everyone, even Damian, loved the little girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Bruce and the boys went silent. Helena was a sweet creature most of the time, but waking up she was extremely grumpy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you doing with her here anyway?" Jason asked, approaching the little girl who was still comfortably asleep in her father's arms. "Why didn't you let her sleep in her room?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I tried to make her sleep in her bed," Bruce explained, "but she caught on to me and didn't want to let go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And Selina, where is she?" Tim questioned as he drank coffee. "Generally, she can make her sleep in her bed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She's out." Bruce said as he tried, unsuccessfully, to get his daughter to release him. "I think she was going to meet with Harleen and Pamela."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The Gotham City Sirens gather together and you do nothing?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow. "Wow, the powerful Batman has been tamed by a thief."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Former thief." Clarified Dick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone turned to see Damian who was helping his father to take the little Wayne to lay her in the chair in front of the batcomputer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned to them with a raised eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aren't you going to make your speech that criminals are not reformed, that they are only inactive and that they are not reliable blah blah blah?" Jason scoffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If I thought that those three were not reliable, I would never have let Selina set foot in this place." he clarified, looking for one of Helena's stuffed animals that were scattered in the Batcave. "They are necessary evils to which I have become accustomed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But when Bruce said he was going out with Selina, you opposed it." said Tim. "It's hard for me to believe that you now trust them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Make no mistake, Drake." Damian said as he put a Bat stuffed animal in the arms of his little sister. "The moment any of those three become a threat, I will end them personally."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Damian, the threat was not necessary." scolded Bruce. "Selina is not-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I said 'if' they became a threat, father. I am also not threatening anyone." Damian said smiling. "I am establishing a fact."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone was silent at Damian's words. Until...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can we leave the uncomfortable subject and embarrass the spawn again for not being able to take a girl to bed?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"JASON!!!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to annihilate you, Todd!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't kill him, Damian!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Please," Jason said, laughing while dodging attacks from his younger brother, "even the replacement has had some action with Steph!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's none of your business Jason!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You used protection, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bruce!!!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, no offense Bruce, but you're not the best example for that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can we leave this subject?" Damian said, jaded. "I have to go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay Damian," Bruce told his son. Damian was going to thank his father for the intervention (he was going to actually do it) until he said, with a mocking smile, "Just remember, it's fine if you take your time getting a girlfriend. After all, I don't think it's easy for you either."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If looks will kill, Damian would be guilty of patricide at that moment. Listening to the silent laughter of his brothers, he only shook his head and smiled, a smile that gave his brothers chills and, although he would not admit it, his father as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you thinking, demon?" Tim asked cautiously, he really didn't like that smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nothing." Damian said feigning innocence, which only made everyone more nervous. "As I said before, I'm leaving."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked slowly to the exit of the cave, and when he was practically outside and his brothers began to calm down, he took out his cell phone and dialed. When he knew that the person on the other line had answered, he placed the phone away from his ear and put it on the speaker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"DAMIAN WAYNE! WHERE ARE YOU? WE'RE WAITING FOR YOU!" The loud voice of Mia Mizoguchi, better known as Maps, sounded. That, combined with the echo of the cave, made everyone cover their ears. Damian smiled and left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shit, that girl could compete with Black Canary." Jason complained. "Still, is that all? I was expecting something worse because of the weird way the brat smiled…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And while Jason was still talking, the four men watched with a little fear (which, really, was a lot) as a very, very, VERY upset Helena Wayne woke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From outside the cave, Damian listened with a smile while his little sister started a tantrum from being awakened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As I said before, he almost, emphasis on almost, had left his murderous side behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took his katana and left the mansion after informing Alfred of the situation. He was not so ruthless as to leave his father and brothers alone with his sister's tantrums. Of course, he told Alfred to take his time, the four of them had to suffer because they laughed at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He drove to the commercial center of Gotham City.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curiously, if you had told 10-year-old Damian Wayne that he voluntarily, well almost, would go to a place as banal as a mall to "hang out with his friends," he would have stabbed you without even blinking. But here he is, wearing the clothes of a common teenager while walking with his unique group of friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And they really were unique.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he approached the meeting point, Damian reflected on how unique his friends were.  He couldn't help it after seeing two of them jumping to get his attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>'As if I hadn't seen them yet.'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"DAMIAN! HERE WE ARE!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>'Or heard, hell Maps.'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>First, there was Jon Kent, also known as Superboy, or as Damian called him, Super-bother. The boy was like a puppy, in need of love, easily excited and hiding his emotions was not his thing. But what could you expect from the beloved son of Superman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Although it had taken time, he had become Damian's first friend. Damian respected his abilities and it was he who had crushed some of the barriers Damian had imposed on himself.  Same barriers that he was beginning to reconsider when I saw the boy jump like a puppy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"DAMIAN! Have you seen us yet?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl shouted next to Jon, and Damien just wished the earth would swallow him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mia Mizoguchi, he had met her at Gotham Academy. The girl had stuck like gum and, before he realized it, Damian already considered her a friend. Her skill in mapping was a plus but her tendency to shout in public places, forgetting who was around, took points away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing that she opened her mouth again, Damian whispered, "I saw you and I heard you." Fixing his green eyes on Jon, who he knew was listening, he murmured, "If you don't make her shut up, I leave."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon, using his super hearing, listened and conveyed the message. The result was that both Maps and Jon pouted, while Colin and Lucy smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Colin and Lucy were undoubtedly the kind of people with whom the 10-year-old Damian wouldn't hang out. But here they were, against all odds, appreciated by him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Colin Wilkes was basically a metahuman, and everyone knew that Batman didn't want metas in Gotham City. However, Colin was an exception. The boy had been kidnapped by Scarecrow at 10 years old and he had experimented with the boy. Colin, however, had not been a victim, he was a survivor. Instead of having self-pity, the boy had used that traumatic experience and its side effects to become Abuse, a hero who only wanted to help. Who, from the beginning, did not seek the camera flashes because he knew that his appearance would not help him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite everything, the boy had a heart of gold and was extremely patient, something that was useful with Damian, and he respected Colin for his courage and determination.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then there was Lucy...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Among his entire group of friends, Lucy was particularly someone with whom he never thought it was possible to get along and curiously she was the one who understood him the most.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucy was a genius when it came to analyzing people and her acrobatic abilities were extremely useful in combat. She was also a great listener and always had good advice. Lucy had everything to become a great psychologist, however, she had started a life as a hero for a simple reason. She felt guilty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucy had lived her life as a model student, a model citizen, and when she turned 13 she became the hero Zinger. At first, Damian had been extremely cautious with her, after all, the reason why she tried so hard to prove she was 'good' was to not be in her parents' dark shadow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl couldn't help it, it must be difficult to be the daughter of not one but two villains, and not just any villains. The Joker and Harley Quinn. Although Harley had reformed, Lucy felt she had to pay for her mother's crimes. Lucy loved her mother, although Harley had initially left her in the care of her aunt so that Lucy had a normal childhood. In the end, after being kidnapped with Harley, she had realized the truth. Lucy, above all else, hated feeling weak and wanted to protect her mother. Which is how Zinger was born, to clear her mother's name and protect the innocent victims of her lunatic father and, according to her, the best way to do that was to fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian respected her. And that respect had grown and now he considered her a friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This group of teenagers, this unique group of teenagers, had become Damian's team. A team he led and a team he trusted. A team that made him want to take out his katana right now because, for God's sake, why did they have to be so dumb?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damian sighed, as for the tenth time that day, and approached his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Someone remind me of what the hell I was thinking when I agreed to be part of this ridiculous waste of time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on Damian!" Jon complained. "We needed to get together to hang out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I spend time with all of you every day at the academy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not the same," Mia complained, "in the academy, we can't play around."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't want to play around." Damian answered with a grimace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't be grumpy Damian." Colin said with a conciliatory smile. "I'm sure we'll have a good time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Still, it is rare that you are late." Lucy pointed out distractedly. "I think you would arrive on time to your own execution."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"DAMIAN, DON'T DIE!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I am standing next to you Mizoguchi." Damian complained while everyone covered their ears. "I think you killed Kent's ears."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'M SO SORRY JON!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mia, you are yelling again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"By the way," Damian commented casually, "your screams interrupted Helena's nap."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mia didn't shout." Lucy interrupted when she saw that the girl was going to start apologizing again. "Also, judging by Damian's face, I think he used that in his favor."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where did you get that, Quinzel?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You have the face of a cat that caught the canary." Lucy pointed out. "Confess, what did you do?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I did nothing but answer the call of Mizoguchi." he said while smiling innocently, which gave chills to everyone present. "The fact that I was already leaving and that father and the morons I have as brothers now have to appease Helena is no longer my business."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A moment passed before the teenagers understood what the young Wayne had done. And the result ended with everyone laughing out loud at imagining Batman and the previous three Robin's battling to calm a three-year-old toddler.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well," said Lucy catching her breath, "Thanks for the laugh Damian, but I'm hungry and if I don't eat something in the next 10 minutes, someone will get hurt."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm hungry too." Jon complained, "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why? Louis would never let you go until this hour without eating." Mia pointed out, checking her watch that said 3 p.m.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mom had a conference in London and left early today," replied the boy, "and Dad had 'work outside'. They gave me money for pizza."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They left you alone?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey! I know how to take care of myself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And what will you do when you have nightmares and mommy and daddy aren't there?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Damian, don't start teasing." Lucy reprimanded, and when Jon was going to thank her, she added, "You're going to make him cry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For your information, I will be completely fine!" the young Kent replied indignantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sure you will be." said Colin passively. "When does your dad come back?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If everything goes well, tomorrow morning."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you say to having a boy's night?" He said while looking at Damian with hopeful eyes. "The girls had one of those a few weeks ago."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Great idea Colin!" Jon said, turning to the young Wayne. "Can we Damian? Please? Please? Please?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing that he had the two boys' puppy eyes against him, Damian just sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Jon and Colin jumped excitedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My house!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll be there Kent, but after patrol."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Watching as the girls laughed softly at the boys' excitement, Damian began to think. The 10-year-old Damian raised by murderers would not be hanging out with a group of friends and would definitely not be planning a sleepover at Jonathan Kent's house, but the 17-year-old Damian was happy to be with his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>'Dammit, I've softened'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And deep down, deep, deep down, Damian was happy about it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>OK so, I was planning to update this on Friday, but a lot of things happened. I promise I will try to post the third chapter on Friday or Saturday. </p><p>So this chapter was to introduce a little of the dynamic that I am going to use on the Gotham side of the story. </p><p>I know that Helena, Colin, Lucy and Mia doesn't belong to the main timeline, but I really wanted to see how it works.</p><p>I'll be using elements of young justice instead of teen titans as well. </p><p>So this is basically a free-form au.</p><p>If you have any comments let me know.</p><p>Thanks for the comments and the votes on the previous chapter.</p><p>Farewell fellows </p><p>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter III</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Marinette was in a hurry, as was the custom for the young Parisian. It had been a stressful day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the morning she had risen early to go to school, for once she managed to arrive early. Both she and Chloe had gone to speak with Ms. Mendeleiv to report their absence and how they would keep up with the classes. Both had lost faith in Ms. Bustier after the incident of Marinette's expulsion. Professor Mendeleiv was strict but fair and was not fooled by Lila Rossi's tricks, that gave her a lot of points with Marinette and Chloe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ms. Mendeleiv had given them homework for all their subjects that would be sufficient enough to cover any tests they might have for the month and a half. If Ms. Bustier didn't accept the assignment then she would take the opportunity to transfer Marinette and Chloe to her own class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ms. Mendeleiv had recommended that they have the essays ready to deliver to Ms. Bustier on Friday in the last period of class so Caline wouldn't have the opportunity to try to dissuade them from going. Both had informed Director Damocles about the trip, of course with a slight threat from Chloe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So they had homework.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, hell had begun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both entered the classroom and went directly to their seats in the back. They tried to ignore the looks full of poison they received from their peers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, not everything was so bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathaniel had gone to rest in the girls' seats while they waited for classes to start.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The others were so engrossed listening to Lila's stories that they didn't even notice the redhead's absence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, how did it go?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We have to do 5 different essays." Chloe complained, "My poor fingers are going to go numb from so much writing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you prefer? Numb fingers or being trapped here?" Marinette replied to the whining of Chloe. "Ms. Mendeleiv is at least giving us an alternative. Think about it Chloe, a month and a half without having to listen to Lila's lies. I think it's worth the 5 essays."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You have a point there Maribug."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good for you." Nathaniel said, whining. "I will be trapped here during that time. My neurons will begin to die, slowly and painfully, don't you feel sorry for me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't start whining Nathaniel." Chloe complained while filing her nails. "You sound pathetic, utterly pathetic."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mari, Chloe is bothering me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette smiled at the interaction between the two. Since Nathaniel had obtained his Miraculous his confidence had risen as well. If we add to that his friendship with Marc Anciel and the fact that his comic was succeeding on the internet, the result was that Nathaniel was increasingly confident in himself and his abilities.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Chloe, don't bother Nathaniel. Nathaniel, don't tease her."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She started it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He started it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette smiled to see the interaction of the two of them, after all, it was a little curious to see how two people who recently hated each other were now close enough to have friendly discussions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So she did something she shouldn't have, she laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then hell broke loose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila, hearing Marinette's laugh, knew she was having fun, which she couldn't afford.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Marinette, what a surprise, you're early in class!" she said in an extremely mellow voice. "I guess I didn't hear you say hello when you entered, forgive me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone turned to her with angry and poison-filled looks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How rude Marinette!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That was rude!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathaniel, seeing the direction things were taking, decided to intervene. Smiling he said, "But Lila, you were talking about something sooo interesting. It would have been more impolite to interrupt you." He said with an innocent smile, "That's why I decided to come greet Marinette on my own."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not blaming you, Nathaniel." she said, a little jaded but without losing her smile. "If you prefer to talk to Marinette than with me…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you going to make me choose?" He asked with fake tears while Marinette thought that, if the comic didn't work out for him, Nathaniel would be a great actor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't think too much about it Lila," Alix said, troubled to see her friend in that situation, and then whispered, "Marinette was Nath's first crush. I think he just wants to keep her close."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I see…" said the little liar, not resigning herself to losing the battle. "But don't you think Marinette can turn him against me? After all, she doesn't like me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry Lila!" Alix said, smiling. "Nath and I have a deal."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila realized that she could not get more out of that battle, so she resigned herself and told one of her fantastic stories again. She didn't trust Nathaniel. Although at first he had been easily fooled by her stories, lately Lila felt he didn't believe her at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only reason she had not attacked Nathaniel is because he had not tried to expose her openly as Marinette had done and therefore was not a threat. That and because Alix was extremely protective of Nathaniel. With them being friends for a longer time, she wasn't sure who Alix would choose if she had to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathaniel, on the other hand, had discovered the truth two years ago. Although he had first fallen for Lila's lies, he had stumbled upon her words on an occasion where the redhead could not ignore it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had felt so sorry that he had gone straight to Marinette's house to apologize to her. At 2:00 AM.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette had thanked him for his sincerity and had forgiven him, reminding Nathaniel why he had fallen in love with her for some time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had discussed what to do and, after many complaints from the redhead, he had agreed not to expose Lila. Yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shortly afterward, he obtained the Miraculous of the fox. He and Trixx had immediately got along together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trixx told him that his soul, full of imagination and creativity, combined well with the skills of the fox.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That's how Feu Fox was born.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when Trixx had learned that Lila Rossi had dared to proclaim herself a user of his Miraculous, well, that had been funny and a little scary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trixx had been disappointed that Alya had fallen into the liar's web. Then, when Nathaniel asked Trixx why his dislike for Lila was greater than even Marinette's, he replied:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"As silly as her lies are, that girl has the charisma to make people believe her." he had said with an expression like someone who swallowed something bitter. "She uses her gifts for evil, but deep down she is a vixen. The foxes are usually territorial, so since you are in tune with me you feel irritated with her presence."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not only her presence, but it was also the fact that Alix believed Lila that got Nathaniel in trouble and sometimes had to suppress his instincts that only asked him to expose Lila and keep her from his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm just worried." Lila said with a false look of concern, bringing Nathaniel back. "He is your best friend Alix, I wouldn't want to see you both separated."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathaniel was about to answer in an unkind way to Lila's disguised threat when Chloe's voice interrupted him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow, Rossi! I'd never seen you as that kind of person."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean Chloe?" Lila asked, innocently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know, the kind of person who likes to get into other people's business when it doesn't even involve them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How cruel Chloe, that wasn't my intention. I just care about my friends!" said Lila with crocodile tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Chloe, back off! Lila is not like you." Alya said, furiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course she is not." she said while looking at her nails. "It would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, to assume that this girl would even reach my heels. Liar." she said, whispering the last word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Please, you have always believed you're a big deal."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, dear Kubdel, I don't believe I'm a big deal. I am a big deal."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, of course."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just go away, Chloe."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, at least I was not the one that got kicked out of a fashion show for cheating and trying to hurt another model."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How cruel Chloe! You know that wasn't my intention either!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"True, everyone knows that you blamed Lila!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Besides, all that was a facade so that you could use your mother's influence and become a model, something that Lila already was."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you really going to resort to that, Cesaire? Because I'll remind you that your little friend Lila is always bragging about her supposed influences."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean by 'supposed influences'?" Alya demanded. "Lila's influences are very real."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, what? Is my mother an imaginary woman, do you not consider her real?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What Alya was trying to say, Chloe, is that we can't compare your mother with, for example, Prince Ali. After all, your mom is only a supposed influence in the fashion world and not-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I beg your pardon?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone felt a chill at Chloe's voice. It was not the squeaky and capricious voice of before, it had a certain elegance and overflowed with a cold fury. Lila paled immediately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I sincerely hope, Rossi, you are not suggesting that my mother is not an influence in the fashion world." Chloe said with a regal tone and ice in her eyes, enough to make those present tremble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except, of course, Nathaniel and Marinette who only thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>'She is in Empress mode'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't say-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, you are right. MY MOTHER is not an influence in the fashion world…" she said, before adding with a proud smile, "She is THE GREATEST influence in the fashion world. The Queen Of Style. So be careful what you say, after all, you are part of that world by being a model. It is not very wise for you to anger your queen." Seeing that Alya was about to open her mouth, she added, "And no, that is not a threat, it is a warning."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whole room went silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lila knew that it wasn't smart for her to continue the battle. As much as Gabriel needed her, she wasn't foolish enough to believe she would have priority over Audrey Bourgeois's opinion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, Ms. Bustier entered the room. Ignorant of what had happened a few minutes ago, she decided to start class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Classes passed without further ado, Marinette and company receiving the usual looks of contempt until school ended.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette and her friends ran to the bakery, Luka and Kagami were already outside waiting for them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mom, I'm back, we'll be in my room!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay sweetheart." Sabine said from the counter, watching as her daughter and her friends got food and headed up to her room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sabine wiped the smile from her face and walked to where her husband was working. Tom, noticing his wife's gaze, left what he was doing to hug her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is something wrong, honey?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm worried Tom."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is it about Marinette's trip? You know it will be fine, any criminal who tries to touch the girls is going to have to go through Tomoe."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not that..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So what's the matter?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sabine stopped for a moment to think about her next words. Sighing, she looked at her husband in the eye and let her thoughts out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Marinette was making that fake smile again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tom looked at his beloved wife with concern, then turned the same look to the second floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My poor girl."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Sabine and Tom had noticed how their beloved daughter was gradually being consumed. They knew it was Lila Rossi's fault and the harassment that Marinette suffered at school. They had tried to get Marinette out of that environment but she had firmly refused. She didn't want any of her friends to be left behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That, added to the stress that came with being MDC, even at 17… it was consuming her. And now her parents were letting her go to the city of crime.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you think it's a good idea?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sabine sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The question was valid, they were sending their daughter to the most crime-ridden city in the world. And yet, she felt that was the right thing to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sighing, she looked at her husband and said, "Tom, Mari is not a baby girl anymore. She has grown. And I think new horizons could be useful." She closed her eyes tightly and added, "I don't want to send her away. But if that returns a little of the spark that our girl had before that little girl arrived, then I am willing to let her go." Opening her eyes, she turned back to her husband with a teary look in her eyes. "You have no idea how happy it made me see that spark in her eyes when she asked my permission to go with Kagami and Chloe to that championship."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I understand honey. If it's the best for Marinette then it will be fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's just that I, ugh, can't stand that fake smile. The one she uses to make me think that everything will be fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wonder, when was the last time we saw her smile sincerely."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The couple merged into a hug as they prayed that any adventure awaiting their precious daughter in Gotham city would return the spark that was still in her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sabine had no idea...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, in Marinette's room, she had an important discussion with her friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So why are they called guinea pigs if they're not from Guinea and they're not pigs?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That is a good question."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do any of you think before you speak? Ugh, boys."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know Chloe, look at Mari-hime."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maribug!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry!" Marinette complained, and then whispered, "but it is a good question."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fantastic, this is because of your nonsense."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can we get back to the main topic?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kagami is right." Marinette said. "We are not here to talk about guinea pigs. It's about whether or not we include Marc Anciel in the team."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone went silent, it was a serious matter because it implied entrusting their identities and the power of a miraculous to someone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tell me one thing, did you do that weird guardian thing to decide which miraculous?" Nathaniel asked. "When you do that, it scares me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If she hadn't done that 'weird guardian thing' you wouldn't have Trixx."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Calm down little bee!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't call me little bee!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Calm down both of you, and yes Nath, I did get in tune with the universe to find out which Miraculous suits Marc."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone looked at her expectantly. It was 5 minutes until Kagami broke the silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So? What happened?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There is a problem."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Isn't there any kwami compatible with Marc?" Nathaniel asked. "You said you felt he was a true holder."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No one will blame you if you made a mistake Marinette." Luka assured her in a calm voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's not it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So what happened Mari-hime? Do you think he is not ready for the challenge?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The young guardian shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Marc is a noble soul, he loves to help others, as a civilian he has shown that he has the necessary attitude."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So… we're not giving him a miraculous because?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's a boy who is in tune with his emotions and those of others, so I know with certainty which kwami would be in perfect tune with him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stop confusing us Maribug, which kwami?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Duusu."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was enough for everyone to remain silent. Marinette had achieved, during her training as a guardian, certain things that even Fu could not dream of. One of them was to communicate with Duusu and Nooro on an astral plane. Marinette felt Duusu's pain in particular when she had her miraculous damaged and hurt her wielders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So that was a thorny issue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Soo…" said Chloe, desperate to break the silence. "What do we do? Do we give him a different miraculous? Because we need all the help we can get, maybe Wayzz could."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"In fact, I have an idea." Seeing that she had the attention of her team, she continued, "As everyone knows, Ladybug needs a Black Cat…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not thinking of giving Plagg to him, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nope," Plagg replied instead of Marinette, "the boy is good but he doesn't have a little destruction in his soul, it wouldn't work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So what is your plan, Mari?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nathaniel was confused and Chloe seemed to be too. On the other hand, Luka and Kagami seemed to understand what Mari implied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"As you know, Kagami has some compatibility with Tikki and Luka with Plagg. However, this compatibility is not as strong as the one they have with Loong and Sass respectively. Plagg's power can be intoxicating if you're not his true wielder, so I think the best option would be to prepare Marc as a kind of wild card. Someone who uses Loong when Kagami is using Tikki, and Sass when Luka is using Plagg"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sounds like a good plan."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That also means that Rock Linx and Lady Tentochu should make more appearances. Therefore, Luka, Kagami, you two should practice with Plagg and Tikki."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Understood, Mari."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can count on us, Mari-hime."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"At the moment, Marc will be in the testing period, he will have to return the miraculous and he will not know our identities."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sounds good!" Nathaniel said, happy that Marc could be part of the team. "When do we tell him?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tonight, after patrol. Just remember that we cannot force him to be part of this, and yes Kagami, showing him your katana DOES count as forcing him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatever you say, Mari-hime."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After finishing the serious conversation, it had become more relaxing and enjoyable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Until an Akuma alert sounded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The team mobilized and finished the battle. This Akuma had been a bit simpler although, in the end, Marinette had ended up with a few bruises that the miraculous cure had failed to heal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment of talking with her friends, they had left and Marinette was about to lie down on her bed for a well-deserved rest when...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Marinette, Nadja and Manon are here!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette whined a little while she stood and opened the closet she used for her already finished orders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she was about to go down she was hit by a ball of energy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Marinette! I missed you!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We met only three days ago Manon!" Marinette said with a smile as she patted the little girl's hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Manon was now 9 years old and even more hyperactive than before, but Marinette loved that little ball of energy and smiles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm so sorry, Marinette! Manon always gets excited when it comes to you. She loves you very much."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No problem, Nadja." she said while looking at the little girl. "I love you too, Manon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At this, Manon smiled happily while hugging Marinette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I imagine you're here for your orders, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry for the inconvenience," said Nadja. "I know it was short notice. I didn't expect to be invited to London for the Reporters Gala."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No problem!" Marinette said smiling. "I enjoyed making your dresses. When do you leave?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tonight."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to miss you, Marinette."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to miss you too, Manon." said the young designer while stroking Manon's brown hair. "Well, getting back to business, your dresses are ready."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Nadja and Manon were excited while Marinette showed them her gala dresses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadja's dress was navy blue, with double straps and an opening at the bottom. Meanwhile, Manon's was a lovely pink dress, with a jewel neckline, skirt with pins and flower detail at the waist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They are beautiful Marinette!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to look like a princess!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm glad you like them!" she said as she handed them the dresses. "Now, for your other order…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadja had asked Marinette to, if possible, make them a couple of matching sets to wear on the way to London.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There we have it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The outfits consisted of a pair of black, leather skirts, tight to the body for Nadja and flared for Manon, and a pair of red, plaid shirts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love them Marinette! They look so cool!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you very much, Marinette. I already deposited the payment into your account, plus extra."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That wasn't necessary Nadja! I did it with pleasure."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know you did," Nadja said, smiling affectionately, "but remember, this was not a favor to a friend. It was a commission to MDC. That is YOUR brand, you have the right and the duty to get the payment you deserve."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette smiled upon receiving Nadja's sincere words and Manon's hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After making the last arrangements to the mother and daughter dresses, they rushed out to the train station for their trip to London.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marinette decided to start the essays, as well as planning a pair of outfits for Jagged and Clara. Until patrol time came, and with it, the time to recruit Marc.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, let's do this."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>💝💝💝💝💝💝💝</p><p>OK I was expecting to be able to post this  chapter yesterday but I couldn't. No excuses.</p><p>I needed this chapter to place a little bit how I will work with the class. Now we are getting closer to the first encounter between our 2 protagonist, so wait for it.</p><p>I will repeat my question </p><p>Should I make Nathaniel and Chloe a couple or should I go for Marc?</p><p>I also didn't add Adrien in this chapter because I am still trying to figure it out what to do with him.</p><p>On the next chapter I will get the stage ready for Marinette and Damian love story to begin.</p><p>I think that's all, </p><p>Farewell fellows </p><p>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter IV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things are getting ready, and encounter tha will be helpful for both sides, and a little bit of the miraculous team funny stuff.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Fate or Chance</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>CHAPTER IV</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mia Mizoguchi walked the streets of Gotham City. Alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> She sighed thinking about how well the day had started. She and her friends had gone to hang out at the Gotham City mall. They had laughed at Damian's expressions of disgust at having to be kind to order food. She and Lucy had gone to buy clothes while the boys complained (Mia suspected that Lucy did it on purpose to annoy the boys), they were going to the pet store when the four had received the call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> The four young heroes had been summoned by the Young Justice team for a mission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Mia was happy for her friends, seriously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Particularly for Lucy, it had taken time but, at last, the Justice League and the Young Justice team had stopped seeing her as the Joker's daughter. Now, they saw her as Zinger, the only one who could endure Nightwing's acrobat training.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Collin was happy to be part of something bigger, and Damian and John could find their way as heroes without having to stick to their parents and their methods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Mia was happy for her friends, but still...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> It hurt to not be there with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> When they had missions in Gotham City, as Maps, she could help them by providing information and hacking enemy systems. Her cartography skills were always useful but, when her friends worked with Young Justice, they didn't need her… and that felt horrible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> She knew that Damian had tried to convince Batman to let her in, but he had refused. Mia was, after all, a civilian without training for battles. Although Batman approved the inclusion of Maps in Damian's team, Young Justice was out of the question. It hurt, but she understood and accepted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Batman had already made many exceptions with her; letting her be part of Damian's team, letting her into the batcave, not kicking her out when she got excited like a girl at a carnival and began to grab batarangs as if they were candy, etc.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She only hoped one day to be able to be with her friends while they fought crime.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Smiling with determination, she shook her head and took out her phone. After all, she wouldn't become a hero if she just sat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Very good Lucy, Damian. What do you have for me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Meanwhile, in Mount Justice, Damian's team was preparing for their mission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Poor Mia." mentioned Collin. "We left her hanging."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Mizoguchi already knew that this was likely to happen."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Don't be insensitive, Damian!" Jon complained. "Collin is right, poor Mia."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Bringing Mizoguchi to a serious mission would be counterproductive and she would only get hurt."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Translation: Damian is worried that Mia might get hurt."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I didn't ask you to 'translate', Quinzel."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Certainly, it was a community service."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Anyway, I don't like Mia not being here." Jon complained. "She's our Maps."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Neither the League nor the team would allow a civilian, even a capable one, to enter here as if it were nothing." Damian said while taking out his katana. "It would be dangerous to have someone without the proper training included in our missions."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Everyone was silent while Lucy glanced at Damian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "What are you hiding from us?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "What are you talking about Kent?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Lucy has that 'I want to tell you but I can not' look"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Quinzel! I told you to work on that look!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I can't help it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> " I knew it! Something happened!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "What is it about?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Is it about Batman?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Is it referring to Mia?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "No," Damian answered at the insistence of his teammates, "it's about Maps."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Everyone, including Lucy, looked at him strangely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Is that not the same?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "It isn't, Abuse."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Ah, the hero names."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "But I thought the League had said that Batman couldn't let Maps in?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "He can't."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay, Damian, you are leaving me more lost than a snake in shoes store." Lucy complained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "My father told me that he could not include Maps on the team because they see her only as a talented cartographer but if we find someone who, besides their intelligence, can defend herself…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "We're not going to replace Mia!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "That's not what I said Kent."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Collin was the first to grasp the double meaning behind Damian's words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "They are looking for a new identity for Mia."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> It was not a question. Damian was smug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I knew there was hope for you, Wilkes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Everyone was silent, processing the young Wayne's words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "The League and Young Justice opposed to Maps." Lucy said with a smug smile. "It is sooo typical Batman to seek legal loopholes in the words of the two teams in which he was a founding member."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Isn't that lying? I do not like to lie."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Well, Kent, what do you call having a secret identity?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "It's not the same."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I know you don't like the idea Jon," Lucy said while tying her hair in a ponytail, "but in this deceptive world, we sometimes have to be cunning."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I have a question. Why do we have to do all this?" Collin asked. "Well, I mean, Oracle isn't a fighter, at least not anymore. She's a hacker and an intelligence agent for the Batfamily. What is the difference between her and Maps?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Basically the fact that, before being Oracle, she was Batgirl." Damian replied. "She was already part of this world. The league does not want to put any civilian unable to defend themselves at risk and, honestly, Gordon is still skilled."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Once Mia is inside, there is no going back," Lucy explained, "so we are preparing her for that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Everyone remained silent until Nightwing approached where the young heroes were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Are you guys ready? I'm about to assign the missions."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> With a settlement on behalf of all the young heroes, they moved towards the area where they would receive their mission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> ×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
  <b>The next day, in London</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> London was a wonderful city, the streets felt historic, it was genuinely beautiful. That was something Nadja could appreciate. What she didn't appreciate was having to run through it's busy streets being dragged by her 9-year-old daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Manon, go slower please."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "But mom, we'll be late!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Sweetheart, the Hyde Park has been open for almost four hundred years, I don't think it will go anywhere."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "What if they close and don't let us in?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I already told you, I verified it, they don't close until midnight."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Then we have to hurry so we can see everything."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Manon, it's barely 3 in the afternoon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Still, Nadja smiled. She liked to see her daughter so excited and happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> By the time Nadja had been invited to the World Media Congress and the following Reporters Gala, whose headquarters would be in London, she had begun planning what to do. She had not been given much time, just a week in fact, but she had managed to get an itinerary that would allow her to continue her work as a journalist and spend time with her daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> She had doubts about taking Manon with her on her trip but, upon learning that Marinette would go on a trip on Saturday morning, she knew she had to take her daughter with her. She would not entrust her daughter to anyone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Manon was excited to see The Rose Garden.  She knew that she would surely have to buy a new SD for Manon's phone because the little girl would fill it with photos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> That was a peculiarity she had acquired thanks to Marinette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Manon was depressed from being akumatized for the fifth time, her schoolmates weren't cruel but Manon felt a little lost. The thing she liked most in the world, playing with her dolls, was always the theme of her villain alter-ego.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Nadja didn't know what to do,especially considering her job didn't allow her to be with her daughter as much as she wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> One day, she had to cover a very important event and asked Marinette to take care of Manon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Marinette had felt terrible when she saw the little ball of energy so discouraged, so she decided to take her for a walk. She took her to Le Jardin du Luxembourg, the little girl had been ecstatic surrounded by such beauty and had discovered a passion for photography. Her pictures were far from professional but they were still surprisingly good for being taken by a little girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Anyway, seeing her little girl running, excited, taking photos of roses from different angles, Nadja could not help smiling. They had been in the garden for a couple of hours when Nadja called her daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Remember that we have to go back to the hotel soon, Manon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Sure mom," said the little girl while taking another picture, "just let me take a picture of this rose and send it to Marinette."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "That's very sweet of you honey," Nadja looked at her daughter with love, "but hurry up, I would like to be on time to the dining room for dinner."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yep mom, I'm coming."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Mother and daughter walked back to the hotel which was only 10 minutes from Hyde Park. It was the same hotel that would host the congress.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Are you going to look for that friend of yours mom?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "That's the plan, darling"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> That was the main reason why Nadja had agreed to go to the Congress on such short notice. She had to find someone to help her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> The situation in Paris was critical, all citizens were basically emotional hostages of the villain Hawkmoth. Nadja, like all Parisians, trusted Ladybug and her team to catch the villain but, after Hawkmoth realized Manon's creative potential, he had begun to target the little girl. It was already been 5 times that the poor girl became Puppeteer, more and more powerful than the previous one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> She knew for a fact that Ladybug and the Mayor had tried to contact The Justice League, but they had dismissed them as a joke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Well, Nadja couldn't be dismissed just like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> So, the moment they entered the hotel dining room, she started looking for the only person who she knew for sure would help her. She didn't have to search much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nadja, is that you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Smiling, relieved, she turned to see her old friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Long time no see. How have you been Louis?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> ×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
  <b>Two days later, in Paris</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> It was a beautiful afternoon in Paris. The weather was beautiful, they were in the beginning of March and it wasn't too cold. And the most important thing for the day to be counted as pleasant was the fact that, for once, there had been no akumas. Normally, that would mean it was a day to calm down and relax.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> I said usually but these guys are not normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> On the outskirts of Paris was the abandoned Chateau de Rothschild. The exterior had been converted into a park with games for children but everyone knew that the mansion had been abandoned decades ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> This place had become the hideout for the team of Parisian heroes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> At that same moment, Marc Anciel was wondering why he had lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Kagami was taking her work as a teacher seriously, which meant she was squeezing poor Marc.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "More speed!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes ma'am!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Your posture is incorrect!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes ma'am!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Use more force in your lunges!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes ma'am!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Don't just say 'Yes ma'am'!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes ma'am! I mean no ma'am! I mean …" Marc turned to see Feu Fox with tears in his eyes. "Nath, what do I mean?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I'm sorry Marc, but I have three reasons to not intervene. Number 1, we need you to be ready for battle. Number 2, don't use real names while using miraculous. And number three.. "</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>" Kagami scares him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Kagami scares me... Chloe! Don't mess with me!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "You know it's true."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "No it isn't."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes it is."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "No, it isn't!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes, it is."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "No!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Enough you two!" Kagami scold them. "You are interrupting the training."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Yes ma'am!" both of them said at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Marinette and Luka watched the scene with a smile. Both were practicing fighting styles that fit Ladynoir and Rock Linx. The kwamis laughed when they saw the interactions of their users.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Marinette sighed, Marc was supposed to be on probation and therefore shouldn't know their identities, but things had gone wrong when an Akuma attacked at the exact moment they were talking to Marc.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> The boy had helped the heroes and discovered Nathaniel and Chloe by accident.  Marinette decided that it was best for him to know everyone's identity, so she could look for Kagami or Luka at the time of an attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Even so, he was still on probation. He was not allowed to patrol with them and he had to go through Kagami and Luka's training to be ready.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Conte Dragon and Serpent were identities that he would only use if necessary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I think is enough, Kagami." Marinette said, pitying Marc. "It's Luka's turn."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Kagami nodded and Marinette smiled when she saw Marc say a mute thank you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Talking about snails with arthritis," Nathaniel said, "when are you girls leaving?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Our flight leaves tomorrow night. Just in time for Mari-hime and Chloe's incompetent teacher to not have the opportunity to interfere."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "I wouldn't call her incompetent."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "That's because Maribug is too kind."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Marinette blushed to see everyone, including Marc, nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Anyway, Chloe, did you finish the essays?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Ugh, don't remind me, I swear my fingers still hurt from writing so much."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, then I think we're ready."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Why don't we make it a sleepover tonight?" Luka said, seeing everyone worry at the prospect of the absence of the three girls. They would take Kaalki with them just in case it was absolutely necessary to return to Paris, but still, the idea made everyone nervous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Good idea, we can do it in my hotel.  Nathaniel and Marc come with me to start fixing everything."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Typical of you littlebee, you want to put us to work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Do not call me little bee, and Marc, remove that expression of astonishment from his face. It's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Obviously you are invited."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Chloe is right. Just let me call mother to ask permission."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Go ahead! Anyway, I don't want any funny business between you and Luka so I'll put you both in separate rooms."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "CHLOE!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "My hotel, my rules."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Marinette laughed when she saw a very flustered Kagami chasing Chloe while she was laughing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Luka had remain quiet, smiling while trying to hide his blush, and Nath and Marc laughed, one laughing out loud and the other only slightly, watching the scene.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Those little pieces of peace made everything worthy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
  <b>"Gotham, get ready, here we come!"</b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>OK <br/>There is chapter IV.</p><p>This one was mostly to get things ready. So just to make everything clear<br/>The part of the story in Gotham happens on Monday, later on, the London part, it happens in Tuesday, and the Paris part, happens in Thursday.</p><p>The girls leave the next day in Friday night.</p><p>So yes that's it. </p><p>The next Chapter will be the first encounter between Damian and Marinette so get ready.</p><p>Last but definitely not least I wanted to thank my friend Aegyobutpsycho for helping me editing this chapter. It was a great help and I really appreciate it</p><p>So I think that's it.</p><p>Farewell fellows <br/>💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter V</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lois Kent had a dilemma.</p><p> It had all started three days ago when she went down to the dining room of the hotel where she was staying for the Reporters Gala. It was almost dinnertime and Lois had just finished a video call with her husband and son. She missed them but the annual Media Congress and Reporters Gala were unmissable events.</p><p> She went to the dining room with the idea of ordering something light and going to sleep. Until she saw her old friend Nadja Chamack.</p><p> Lois and Nadja had met, ironically, in London. Both had been sent to cover an event and both reporters got along almost immediately.</p><p> She valued Nadja, despite the distance they had become friends, which is why Lois was surprised when she stopped receiving her calls four years ago.</p><p> She still received some letters, but they seemed strange to her. Something was off. Sometimes it felt like something Nadja wanted to say was lost along the way.</p><p> Therefore, when she saw her friend and the one she assumed was little Manon in the hotel dining room, she did not hesitate to approach her.</p><p> She was determined to ask, not interrogate, just ask, the reason for her silence. Lois was not expecting the bomb that fell on her.</p><p> "Let me get this straight," Lois said looking her friend in the eyes, "for four years Paris has been under constant attack from, basically, a terrorist."</p><p> "Yes."</p><p> "Which uses some magic artifact to turn normal people into villains."</p><p> "That's right."</p><p> "All they need is a person to feel a negative emotion."</p><p> "You're getting it."</p><p>"And the only ones who can deal with it are basically children with equally powerful artifacts."</p><p> "Teens, actually, and they are called Miraculous."</p><p> "Oh my God..." Lois said as she massaged her temple. "You know I trust you, but how the hell do you expect me to believe this has been going on for years and no one has noticed?"</p><p> This was too much to process and she was Superman's wife for God's sake! Nadja had made sure to send Manon to her room so she could talk with Lois at ease. If even half of what she was saying was true, it made sense why.</p><p>"Lois, I understand that it sounds like something impossible but, believe me, this is real."</p><p> Nadja's expression was honest. Lois knew her friend wouldn't lie to her but she needed more information before doing anything.</p><p>"Why now? If the situation in Paris is as critical as you say, why wait until now to ask for help?"</p><p> "Firstly, this is not the first time we have asked for help." Nadja explained, looking Lois in the eyes. "I'm sure Ladybug tried to ask for help when it all started but her request was rejected and treated as a prank. Then the mayor tried a second time but Green Lantern rejected the request and said they were too busy and not to call again."</p><p> "I see." Lois murmured.</p><p>"Secondly, we all assumed that we were fine. That Ladybug and Chat Noir would fix everything. We were naive."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"That's reason number three. The akumas have become stronger, more dangerous and crueler than ever. They were never a good thing but now? They're worse than ever." Nadja concentrated on her cup of tea in front of her as if she were looking for strength. "It all started four years ago with Stoneheart, a boy who was mocked for not being able to confess to the girl he liked-"</p><p> "Wait, what?"</p><p> "I told you, Hawkmoth takes advantage of negative emotions. Even if they are justified."</p><p> Lois just shook her head in disbelief.</p><p> "Okay, continue."</p><p> "For two and a half years, everything was relatively easy. Someone was akumatized, caused damage, Ladybug and Chat Noir beat them, Ladybug used the miraculous cure and everything went back to normal. But everything changed a year and a half ago."</p><p> The way Nadja trembled made Lois want to stop her, but if she wanted to help then she'd need the details, as painful as they were.</p><p> "What happened?"</p><p> Both Lois and Nadja prepared themselves mentally for what was to come. It wouldn't be a nice story.</p><p> "A year and a half ago there was an especially powerful akuma. Her name was Mother's Wrath.  It was created by the fury of three mothers whose daughters were being tormented by bullies. It was not a one time thing, I know that the three girls had already made complaints about it. So it was frustration and anger that built up. One day, one of them was physically hurt and then made fun of. The other two intervened to help their friend but the bullies started attacking them until they made them cry and, believe me, those girls are not the type to cry easily. The mothers were talking together when they saw their daughters arrive with tears in their eyes. That was the first time that Hawkmoth akumatized three people in a single akuma and, thank God, the last so far. It was terrifying. Generally, the akumas fights lasted a day at most but this battle lasted a week."</p><p>"It seems you knew the victims personally."</p><p> "I know them. One of them is a close friend and the girl who was assaulted is Manon's babysitter. The other two mothers had already been akumatized before, as Ikari Gozen and Style Queen, and were powerful. Adding Sabine, they became the most powerful villain created as of yet. She used her powers to remind every mother in Paris of a time when their children were injured, almost every mother in Paris fell under her spell. If it hadn't been for Ryuko, I would have fallen. It made me remember when some kids made fun of Manon for not having a father. Mother's Wrath and her army took complete control of Paris in less than two days. The entire city was besieged. It was like being under a dictatorship, Mother's Wrath was the queen and murdered hundreds of people using her lackeys."</p><p> "But they beat her, right?"</p><p> "Yes, but it took them days. Days and nights when those poor children couldn't rest, only fight. And in the end, the price it cost them was very high."</p><p> "What do you mean?"</p><p> "Hawkmoth achieved a kind of upgrade in his powers. His villains became more powerful and even worse..." Nadja swallowed thickly at what she was going to say, "The akumatized victims remember what they did now and have nightmares about it, which makes them likely to be akumatized again."</p><p> "Nadja, did you…?"</p><p> Nadja shook her head.</p><p> "I've only been akumatized twice, once when I almost lost my job and once during the massive akumatization of hero day. Both occurred before Mother's Wrath."</p><p> "What!?" Lois could not help but exclaim before remembering how difficult it must be for her friend and decided not to delve into the subject. She cleared her throat before continuing, "Sorry, but before you continue… how do you know about the nightmares then?"</p><p> Nadja turned to her with teary eyes.</p><p> "... Manon."</p><p> With that one word came a painful silence.</p><p> "She's only nine years old." Lois said incredulously.</p><p> "My girl has been akumatized five times, the first when she was five years old."</p><p> At those words, Lois couldn't help but gasp. Now she understood Nadja's despair. This was the request of a mother whose daughter was a victim of this villain. This villain who even preyed on an innocent, little girl. Fury coursed through her body as she tried to put herself in her shoes and a vision of her little Jon in that kind of situation came to her mind.</p><p> "Lois, I'm also a reporter and I know that, in the end, it all comes down to the truth. I know that, even if we are friends, you wouldn't put your reputation at risk if you don't have proof. So what I will ask of you will sound selfish since I already explained the dangers, but please, come with me to Paris. I need you to see what we are going through."</p><p> Lois had been thinking about it since Tuesday. It was now Friday, the Reporters Congress was over and she could go home the next day. However, if what Nadja said was true...</p><p> Lois hadn't mentioned anything to Clark, she talked to him daily but she didn't want to worry him.</p><p> She went to her friend's room and knocked on the door. She was waiting for Nadja to open when a pair of caramel eyes peeked out.</p><p> "Hello, Aunt Lois."</p><p> "Hello, Manon. Is your mom here?"</p><p> "She went to the lobby to get something but she said that if you came then to let you in."</p><p> "Thank you sweetie. What do you have there?"</p><p> "They're my dolls of the heroes of Paris! Marinette made them for me." the girl said enthusiastically showing her toys. "This is Ladybug and this is Empress Abeille."</p><p> "How cute! And who is that one over there?"</p><p> "That's Chat Noir," Manon said, but her expression was sad, "but he's gone."</p><p> Lois decided not to ask, Manon looked too sad.  Lois, seeing the expression of the girl, decided she didn't need anything else to make a decision."</p><p> "You know Manon, I think I will go with you to Paris."</p><p>...........................................................................</p><p> <strong>Gotham City, Saturday, 6:30 PM</strong></p><p> Three young girls walked the streets of Gotham City while arguing.</p><p> "Someone remind me why we didn't bring Katsu."</p><p> "Chloe, we've only walked like two blocks, don't complain."</p><p> "Besides, nobody forced you to wear those 6-inch heels."</p><p> "Excuse me, better dead than plain, dear."</p><p> "Dead, then you would at least be quiet."</p><p>"Stop, both of you! We are in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, it is starting to get dark and, above all, I'm cold!"</p><p> "Sorry Maribug/Mari-hime." They apologized at the same time.</p><p> "Whatever, let's find a convenience store, buy the honey for Chloe's tea and go back to the hotel."</p><p> "By the way, why couldn't you settle for the tea they had at the hotel?"</p><p> "Are you kidding? It was not of sufficient quality and the honey was completely artificial. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."</p><p> "You are too picky."</p><p> "Don't talk to me about picky, you don't even leave the house without that bottle of Tabasco."</p><p> "That's not true, I also have wasabi from time to time."</p><p> Marinette just sighed, she loved her friends but sometimes she just wanted to strangle them. They had decided to go to the nearest supermarket to find honey for Chloe. Tomoe had been very reluctant to let them go alone but it was relatively early, the supermarket was less than a 10-minute walk and she had to go out to fix some business for the tournament in which Kagami would participate.</p><p> Immersed in her thoughts, she didn't notice a cat running towards her until the feline was in her arms.</p><p> "Hello little one, where did you come from?"</p><p> Chloe and Kagami walked over to see the cat, which was trembling in the girl's arms.</p><p> "What happened?" Chloe asked when she saw the little animal tremble. "He doesn't look very good."</p><p> "He's cold." Marinette said as she opened her coat and placed the kitty near her chest to give her body heat. "Poor thing, he's really cold. I understand you perfectly kitty."</p><p> "It's more than that." Kagami said, observing the feline who was still trembling, curled up in her friend's chest. "Look at her paw, it seems frozen?"</p><p> The three girls looked at the kitten's hind leg in confusion, which indeed appeared to be frosty. Suddenly they heard a cold, almost metallic voice as if someone was talking through a speaker. The fact that it sounded like a whisper, but still loud enough to hear it, gave the three girls chills.</p><p> "Well, what do we have here?"</p><p> Marinette had investigated the Gotham City villains before she had even accepted the trip, so she knew who it was.</p><p> "Mr. Freeze."</p><p> Wasn't she supposed to be the bearer of good luck?</p><p>...........................................................................</p><p> At the same time, on the rooftops of Gotham City.</p><p> Robin was jumping on the rooftops of Gotham City accompanied by Batwoman. It was a peculiar combination, but for today Damian would tolerate it.</p><p> Damian had been grumpier than usual since the mission his team had with the Young Justice team. It had turned out to be an infiltration and rescue mission, nothing unusual there. They had faced a small army of mercenaries, okay, everything's fine. They had escaped from the place as it was being destroyed, another normal day for them.</p><p> What had made Damian so furious had been the lack of information, something that could have been prevented.</p><p> It was supposed to be a simple mission. Robin's team would infiltrate the bases of a fourth gang that had managed to kidnap the only prince of the country of Achu, remove the boy and catch the thugs. Simple.</p><p> It had not been so simple. It all started when Zinger had sent a message to Maps with the information of the mission, hidden from everyone except the batfamily and Robin's team of course.</p><p> When Maps received the information, she had done what she did best, research and map. She had managed to square the place where the young prince was imprisoned quickly.</p><p> But she had found something else. The poor girl had been desperate to contact her friends after discovering that the building had a hidden underground structure. She had already seen similar structures linked to the League of Assassins and was concerned that it was a trap.</p><p> It turned out that it was a trap.</p><p> A trap orchestrated by Talia al Ghul.</p><p> Talia had sent for the boy to be kidnapped knowing that the odds of Damian's team being assigned were high.</p><p> Maps had discovered it in just 25 minutes.</p><p> Unfortunately, she had no way of contacting them and they had fallen into the trap. When Maps was finally able to contact Oracle to let them know what she had discovered, they got in direct contact with Nightwing and they managed to get out of the ambush alive. But not everything was so good.</p><p> Somehow his mother had gotten enough kryptonite to create a kind of club and now Jon would be on bedrest for a week.</p><p> Great.</p><p> Damian had been furious, everything could have been avoided if they had just left Maps as part of HIS team.</p><p> "Calm down Robin. I know you're upset but for now, focus on patrolling."</p><p> "Easy for you to say Batwoman, it is not your friend who is going to spend a week in bed."</p><p> "Aww, you do care."</p><p> "Do not be stupid, I simply do not want to tolerate his whining."</p><p> They were both silent for a minute, then Kate decided to say what the whole family was thinking.</p><p> "It wasn't your fault Damian."</p><p> "You know the rules, no names in the field." Damian said, trying to avoid the subject. Seeing Kate's gaze on him, he sighed and added, "Superboy was hurt, and by my mother, that's what matters.</p><p> "I understand that you feel frustrated but it was nobody's fault."</p><p> "I'll stop you there, Batwoman." Robin said, stopping on a roof while Batwoman did the same. "Number one, that attack was not inevitable. We could have prepared better if they had let Maps investigate."</p><p> "You know that both the Justice League and Young Justice wouldn't have allowed it."</p><p> "Exactly. If those fools didn't underestimate the strategic value of Maps this would be another story." Damian said with contained fury in his voice. "Number two, if it wasn't my fault, why has father punished my team?"</p><p> "Damian, this is not punishment."</p><p> "Names." Damian said, but Kate suspected that he was doing it just to annoy her. "Besides, if not punishment, why else has father prohibited missions for my team?"</p><p> "He didn't ban them, he's just giving them time for Jo- err, Superboy, to recover."</p><p> "Whatever."</p><p> "What is number three?" Batwoman only sighed when she saw Damian's annoyed look. "Pipsqueak, when you start to enumerate you always reach a minimum of three, so what's the third?"</p><p> Damian sighed. He had agreed to patrol with Batwoman in order to avoid his brothers, he knew they would analyze him to find out what was wrong.</p><p> Well, at least Kate gave him the choice to speak or not.</p><p> "Mother was targeting me."</p><p> "Aren't you being a little hasty in assuming that? I mean, your mother is perfectly capable of doing something like that but just to get your and your father's attention? Aren't you assuming too much?"</p><p> "No." Damian's forceful answer made Kate raise an eyebrow. Damian sighed and decided to explain, "The boy she kidnapped is Prince Ali of Achu, he was heading to Gotham City to work with father in a program to help the Gotham Children's Hospital. His kidnapper assured him that someone from the family would rescue him.</p><p> "Well, firstly, it's very nice of you to recognize us as your family. Secondly, I understand your point but remember that the mission could very well have been assigned to any other member of the family."</p><p> "But she was ready for my team."</p><p> "Even so…"</p><p> "You do not understand. She knew, do not ask me how, that my friends and I would go." Damian rubbed his temples while explaining, "She attacked Kent for two reasons: because he is the strongest link in my team, as far as power I mean. She wanted to send a message. If she can hurt Superboy, she can hurt us all."</p><p> "And the second reason?"</p><p> "Kent was my first friend."</p><p> Kate had to prick her ear to hear Damian's murmur. She was indeed honored that Damian trusted her enough but she didn't know how to answer that. She couldn't tell him that his mother wouldn't do that, Talia Al Ghul was a bitch who would not hesitate to skin her own son in order to fulfill her goals. The idea of Talia planning everything so that Damian would fall into her trap was not far-fetched.</p><p> So Kate was stuck.</p><p> Just when she was going to open her mouth to reply to Damian, still unsure of what to say, Oracle's voice was heard through her communicators.</p><p> "Guys, there seems to be a problem."</p><p> "Oracle, situation report."</p><p> "Batman, it seems that Mr. Freeze is doing his thing. I have reports of activity near Crime Alley."</p><p> "This cold night must be like a summer's day to him."</p><p> "Nightwing, even I think that joke was bad."</p><p> "Shut up Batgirl! My brain is numb."</p><p> "And that is different from your usual self how…?"</p><p> "Really Timmy? You too, brother?"</p><p> "No names."</p><p> "Just shut up!"</p><p> "Signal, don't start!"</p><p> "Fuck all of you."</p><p> "What was that for Red Hood?"</p><p> "I… just wanted to say it."</p><p> Everyone was silent until Black Bat spoke.</p><p> "Who will go?"</p><p> "Robin and I are close, we'll take care of it."</p><p> "If you need help, request it immediately."</p><p> "We can do this alone, father."</p><p> Kate sighed as she and Robin jumped and began their trek towards Crime Alley. She wanted to help the boy.</p><p> Well, maybe kicking some bad guys' butts would clear Robin's mind.</p><p> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</p><p> Marinette was starting to get mad.</p><p> Of all the villains she could have encountered on her first night in Gotham, why did it have to be Mr. Freeze?</p><p> She was cold before, but now she was freezing and that made her sleepy. And since she couldn't sleep, she was getting angry.</p><p> Mr. Freeze had led the three girls and the kitten, still nestled in Marinette's chest, to a kind of cellar near an alley.</p><p> "Now, if you little girls stay good and silent, everything will be fine."</p><p> Marinette knew that was probably true. Of all the Gotham villains, Mr. Freeze was the least dangerous. Not because he wasn't capable of hurting them but because the man was not as heartless as the other villains.</p><p> But she was cold!</p><p> Whatever the villain was planning, a bank robbery judging by the villain's lackeys and the map on the wall, Marinette wished he had done it another day.</p><p> Don't get her wrong, in addition to fighting akumas, Ladybug had thwarted bank robberies and other crimes before.</p><p> But she was cold, sleepy and annoyed.</p><p> Kagami and Chloe were sitting on the ground, on either side of her, exchanging glances with Marinette and understanding her silent message.</p><p>
  <strong> "For now, stay still."</strong>
</p><p> They both looked at her expectantly but nodded.</p><p> Marinette, as I said earlier, had thoroughly investigated Gotham City. She knew that, of all the cities in America, Gotham City had the largest and most organized team of heroes, or vigilantes, whatever.</p><p> The batfamily was always patrolling at night. Their efficiency was something Marinette greatly admired, so she sat down and waited. Until she saw him.</p><p> On the rooftop of the building across the street was Robin. Marinette could see him from afar, that color palette was terrible, and she decided to buy a little time as the local heroes arrived.</p><p> "And what is your brilliant plan?" Mr. Freeze turned towards her as she continued, "I mean, you brought us here and you seem to be planning something big. Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"</p><p> "Shut up, brat." One of Mr. Freeze's lackeys rebuked. "That is none of your concern."</p><p> "I am cold, and when I'm cold I talk your ears off. Do you want me to shut up? Give me a blanket."</p><p> "Listen girl-"</p><p> "I repeat my question, aren't you afraid?"</p><p> "What should I be afraid of?" Mr. Freeze's voice echoed in the cellar.</p><p> "I don't know, what about Batman? He always stops you. Am I right?"</p><p> "The bat isn't here."</p><p> "But he could come, look, I'm not from around here but even I know that Batman has a great team behind him. You only have two helpers."</p><p> "What do you mean brat!? Don't underestimate us!"</p><p> "Shut up at once!"</p><p> "I told you, if you want me to be quiet, give us a blanket for me and the kitten."</p><p> "If you don't shut up, you, your friends and the damn cat will die!"</p><p> At those words, Marinette's gaze sharpened. She stopped shaking and spoke with a tone of authority that she hadn't had a minute ago.</p><p>"No, you will not. Before you even think about harming this poor, little kitten, I'm going to give you a good beating.</p><p> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</p><p> Batwoman let out a low whistle.</p><p> "That girl has guts."</p><p> "We have to hurry, right now she is in danger."</p><p> Damian was actually impressed.</p><p> The girl didn't look scared, even being held hostage by one of Gotham's criminals. On the contrary, she had remained calm. Damian was sure she had seen him from across the street before starting to speak so he could conclude that she was distracting them with her chatter to give them a chance to interfere while Mr. Freeze and his minions were caught off guard.</p><p> That was already enough to pleasantly surprise Damian.</p><p> But the fact that she continued to protect the cat, even when she was in an unfavorable situation, and the threat she had sent to Mr. Freeze's henchmen had earned her Damian's respect.</p><p> Now he was a little curious about the girl.</p><p> "Do you really think you can threaten us, little girl?"</p><p> "Besides, there are not only two of us, there are three more of us on the other side of the cellar waiting in case Batman or his assistants appear."</p><p> Okay, that was valuable information that both Robin and Batwoman appreciated.</p><p> "Enough!" Mr. Freeze's voice, despite not having yelled, echoed around the room. "What do you want?"</p><p> "I want a blanket, I'm cold!"</p><p> "Give her the damn blanket."</p><p> One of Freeze's henchmen on the other side of the cellar emerged from where he was hiding, giving the vigilantes an idea of where the others were hiding.</p><p> "Thank you."</p><p> When the man approached the girls with the blanket, the girl reached out and took it. She carefully grasped the cat cuddled against her chest and wrapped it in the blanket.</p><p> "What are you doing? I thought you were cold."</p><p> "I'm cold, but he's colder. It looks like one of you shot the poor thing with your freezing weapons."</p><p> "I'm sure it was Clayton, he's the only one who gets one of those and uses it to scare cats."</p><p> Another helpful fact. Either Freeze's henchmen were idiots or the girl was very smart. Robin suspected it was a bit of both.</p><p> "Yes, well, how brave of you. Scaring kittens."</p><p> "Hey, little bitch! Who do you think you are?!"</p><p> Ah, and there's Clayton. Perfect.</p><p> "The girl is good. She's been sending us information and these fools don't even know it."</p><p> Robin nodded at Batwoman's words. Now he was even more curious about the girl. He made a mental note to investigate her later, for now, it was time for the show.</p><p>
  <strong> "Damnit, I already sound like Lucy."</strong>
</p><p> Batwoman and Robin landed in the hold and neutralized Clayton first, then the battle began.</p><p> Blows were flying and when one of Mr. Freeze's henchmen decided to use the hostages, he was in for a surprise.</p><p> After Marinette put the kitten away, she turned towards her friends. Seeing that they were about to be attacked, she spoke loudly in French.</p><p> "Aller!"</p><p> At the order, the three girls attacked Freeze's men while Batwoman and Robin were dealing with Mr. Freeze and the other henchman who had taken possession of this Clayton's weapon.</p><p> Robin turned to see her and was surprised.</p><p> The girl who had been giving them clues for a few minutes was the clear leader. The three began to fight and in just a few seconds they had the three men subdued.</p><p> At that exact moment, he and Batwoman finished submitting Mr. Freeze and the other subject.</p><p> Robin turned to see the girls and was dazzled by a pair of fierce, blue eyes.</p><p> Their glances met.</p><p> At that moment one of the guys got up, ready to attack, but was stopped by a high kick from the girl.</p><p>After verifying that the kitten and her friends were fine, she turned to him once more.</p><p> Now, for sure, Robin had been dazzled by this girl and his curiosity increased.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p><p>Ok, so here we are, chapter 5.</p><p>I am really sorry, I was supposed to post this chapter last week, but I get sick an my grandma confiscated my phone so I couldn't write a single word.</p><p>I hope it won't happen again.</p><p>As always I want to thank my friend AegyoButPsycho for helping me reviewing this chapter.</p><p>In regards of this, we have the first encounter between our couple and I am excited.</p><p>Introduce prince Ali wasn't planned, but when I wrote it I love it and the ideas started flooding my mind, so we keep it around.</p><p>I really want to make sure to make a distinction between a good reporter and a bad one. Lois cares for her friend, she wanted to help, but she need to make sure that the situation is bad enough to get her husband on it.</p><p>Talia is a character that I'll be using as well.</p><p>I think that's it. Any comments, let me know</p><p>Farewell fellows</p><p>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The aftermath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin and Batwoman had a enlightening conversation with the Parisians girls.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Robin had been dazzled by the girl in front of him.  Not only had she remained calm throughout the kidnapping, but she had also tricked Mr Freze's henchmen into letting out data that was vitally important for Robin and Batwoman to easily subdue them.<br/> If we add to this that the girl had demonstrated leadership skills and aptitudes in battle, and not to mention how she protected the cat, well, let's just say that the small curiosity she felt at first had increased.</p><p>" Are you all right, ladies?"</p><p> At Batwoman's words, she and Robin stopped looking at each other.</p><p> She turned to her friends and the blonde girl spoke.</p><p> "We are fine, thanks for the help.  Um ... Are you Batgirl?"</p><p> "Batwoman, actually."</p><p> "Sorry for the confusion."</p><p> "Don't worry."</p><p> "Thank you very much for saving us" said the girl who had caught Robin's attention " I'm sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused."</p><p> "On the contrary, the clues you got us made our job much easier."</p><p> The girl, Damian really should find out her name, blushed at Batwoman's compliment.</p><p> "That's our Maribug."</p><p>"I agree, Mari-hime is good at making plans in less than a fraction of a minute."</p><p> "Girls, stop it"</p><p> "OK"</p><p> The sung tone of the other two let Robin know that the girls would surely not stop.</p><p>" However, thank you both very much for your help, my name is Marinette" then the girl, Marinette, pointed to her companions "she is Chloe and she is Kagami.</p><p>"From what I heard, you are not from around here." Batwoman mentioned "What brings you to Gotham City?"</p><p> "The Wayne Foundation fencing tournament."  Kagami replied stoically.</p><p> "Do you practice fencing?" That would explain the reflexes, although not the melee fighting skills.</p><p> "No, only Kagami, we are the emotional support."</p><p> OK,  he wasn't expecting that.</p><p>"All three of you seemed to know how to fight.</p><p> "I beg you pardon, it didn't seem, we know how to fight" The blonde girl, Chloe, spoke in a smug tone  "Maribug's mother taught us self defense, and we have had private teachers."</p><p> "It was necessary" said the other girl, Kagami, in a serious tone "our mothers did not want us to be an easy target."</p><p> "Where are you from?" Asked Robin.  Marinette smiled at him and answered.</p><p>"Paris France."</p><p> "Why would you need  to know how to defend themselves so much?  Paris doesn't have a high crime rate as far as I know"</p><p>"I mean, it's always good for girls to know how to defend themselves, but 'needing' sounds a bit far-fetched."</p><p> The three girls frowned at the words of both vigilantes.  They shared a look and Marinette stepped forward and spoke.</p><p>"Well, for starters Chloe is the only daughter of the Mayor of Paris."</p><p> Good reason, the sons of politicians used to be easy targets for kidnappers.</p><p>"Kagami is a Tsurugi."</p><p> "Tsurugi, like the Olympic fencing champions?" Asked Batwoman.</p><p>"Precisely."</p><p>"Since Maman offered to teach the three of us self defense, Kagami saw it as a good opportunity."</p><p>"Mother used to be extremely strict about my use of time.  Still, she considered that learning martial arts would not be a waste of time.  That gave me time to be with Mari-hime and Chloe."</p><p> Good strategy.</p><p> "And well, there are also Akuma attacks."</p><p> "The what now?"</p><p> Both Robin and Batwoman were confused.  And they were more confused when they saw the reaction of the three young girls.  The three girls frowned and started arguing with each other in French.</p><p> Good for him, who knew French.</p><p>"How is it possible that they don't know anything?"</p><p>"This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.  I am aware that Daddy tried to contact the Justice League after Mother's Wrath."</p><p> "That is without mentioning the online news, although if they are not taken seriously because of the Ladyblog I would understand it."</p><p>"Don't let me get started with that, I am sure that if they saw the interview with Ladybug's 'best friend' they will take us all for crazy.  Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."</p><p>"Chloe, you already said that, and Kagami, don't be so hard.  But I agree, at least Nadja's reporting should have raised some suspicions.  However, there are more important things here."</p><p>"So the Justice League, and I need to  emphasize THE Justice League, have no idea what's an Akuma."</p><p>"They don't know about Ladybug and the Miraculous team."</p><p>"And apparently they don't know who Hawkmoth is."</p><p> While the three girls argued, Robin and Batwoman watched them.  Damian spoke ten languages fluently, so understanding what they were saying was no problem.  Still, he  didn't get half of what they were actually saying.</p><p> Akumas?  Hawkmoth?  Miraculous?  What the hell?</p><p> Robin cleared his throat to get the girls attention, which he did.</p><p> The blonde girl, Chloe, and the short-haired girl, Kagami, turned to see them.  Marinette blushed and apologized for being rude, Damian was tempted to tell her that he understood the whole conversation to see if her blush would get bigger"</p><p> "Would you be so kind as to explain us about these "Akumas"?  " Batwoman asked.</p><p> The three of them turned to see Marinette nodded and began to speak.</p><p>"It all started four years ago with the attack of the first Akuma, Stoneheart ..."</p><p> An explanation later ...</p><p> Both Robin and Batwoman were confused.  The story told by the young Parisians girls sounded almost impossible.</p><p> I mean, a megalomaniac terrorist who took advantage of people's negative feelings and used butterflies to control them, a team of young heroes using the same type of magical artifact, the fact that they had contacted The Justice League and received no response,  all of that sounded like if came out of an overactive imagination. It was almost impossible to believe.</p><p> Emphasis on almost.</p><p> The thing is, that wasn't the weirdest thing they'd ever heard.  Powerful aliens whose weakness was basically a stone, hybrids of humans and demons, wizards, Damian was dead and risen, for God's sake!</p><p>"We had never heard of the situation you are describing and it sounds a bit fanciful" Batwoman pointed out, Damien noticed how Marinette tensed a little at Kate's incredulous tone and the other two girls took defensive positions.  Batwoman didn't seem to notice, but still added, "But, after all, it's not the weirdest thing I've ever heard."</p><p>"I agree, do you say that the mayor of Paris tried to contact the Justice League?"</p><p>"Not only my daddy, Ladybug herself tried to contact them at least twice."</p><p> "Right, the first time was when the battles started, the second time after Mother's Wrath."</p><p> It did not go unnoticed by either Damian or Kate as the three girls trembled at the aforementioned villain.</p><p>"Do you have any idea who received the calls?" Robin asked, the fact that they were not informed was worrying.</p><p> "Green Lantern" said the three girls in unison.  Robin couldn't help but notice the disdain in Chloe and Kagami's voice and the weariness in Marinette's voice.</p><p> "I'm going to assume that he is not his favorite hero," Batwoman said, sounding sincerely entertain by the idea.  Hall Jordan was not exactly well-liked in the Batfamily.</p><p>"I'm not judging his heroic abilities ..."</p><p>"We do Mari-hime / Maribug."  Chloe and Kagami mentioned at Marinette's words.  She answered them with a stared that silenced them.</p><p>Impressive.  Damian generally tried to silence his friends by glaring at them with the look that made the criminals tremble, but those idiots just laughed.  Marinette had only had to raise her eyebrow to shut them up.</p><p>"As I was saying, I don't think he's a bad hero or a bad person, it's just that it seems a bit irresponsible of him to just assume that a heroine and a mayor would go to so much trouble to play a prank on him" Marinette said respectfully,  Then she added a little annoyed "Ironically what made him think he was stupid was the fact that the powers of Hawkmoth and the Miraculous team came from pieces of jewelry. Because that is so silly."</p><p> Both Robin and Batwoman had to suppress a laugh.  That girl's sarcasm was very entertaining.</p><p>"Well, now we know" Batwoman said "I can't promise you anything yet, but we will certainly inform Batman about this situation and investigate it."</p><p> Marinette then smiled with tears of thanks, took Batwoman's hands and spoke.</p><p>"You have no idea how much it means to us, Paris suffers in daily basis and fear is the daily bread. Thanks a lot."</p><p>"There is no need ladies."</p><p> Robin almost laughed when she saw the expression on Kate's face, it was not common for them to receive such a sincere thank you.</p><p> "It's not that I'm not grateful too, but we were on our way to the supermarket, if I don't drink my tea with honey in less than an hour someone will be hurt."</p><p>"What Chloe tries to ask is do you need us to stay here?" Kagami said.</p><p>"We are going to need you to give your statements to the police, but don't worry they are on their way."</p><p>"I understand, if you'll excuse me, I think I should inform my mother of the situation."</p><p>"Go ahead"</p><p> As Kagami called her mother and Batwoman chatted with Chloe, Robin watched as Marinette approached Mr Freze.</p><p> Robin knew that some victims wanted to hit their captors when they were released from dangerous situations, normally he did not mind in the least, however this was Mr Freze, it would be dangerous if Marinette attacked him so he watched her ready to intervene.</p><p> He didn't expected to see her duck at the height of the villain, who was immobilized.</p><p>"What do you want, brat?"</p><p>"Why do you dothis?" She asked looking into his eyes, seeing the villain's gaze she asked again "Why does Dr Fries do this?"</p><p>"Do what?"</p><p> "Before coming to Gotham City, I researched the villains here.  You excelled for not being as cruel as the others. So I did a little more research and stumbled upon the story of a brilliant cryogenic named Victor Fries."</p><p> "If you read what they have written about me, you must know about Nora."</p><p> Marinette gave a look that at first Mr Freze believed in pity, but looking closer, he realized that it was empathetic.</p><p>"Yes, I read about it." Mr Freze stared at her waiting for her to say something "you are looking for a way to heal her.  I imagine that was why you planned to rob the bank."</p><p> "If you know why I do what I do, just go away and leave me alone girl.  I only do what is necessary to see her again."</p><p> "Although your goal is noble, the way you want to achieve it is wrong.  Do you honestly believe that when you wake her up she will be happy knowing everything you have done?  What has been sacrificed for her to be healthy?"</p><p> Mr Freze was about to answer when he noticed something, she had not said "if he was able" she had said "when".  That confused him enough to give Marinette time to continue.</p><p> "As I said, I did my research.  You are a brilliant person, I am sure there must be a way to save her without you being a criminal."</p><p>" I've already tried, girl.  Don't you think I wanted this, I just want to see her smile." Said the man losing himself in the memories of the woman he loved and who in fact continued to love "There is no way out"</p><p>"There is always a way for those who have the intelligence to look for it, and you are a very intelligent person.  Isn't it worth a little more perseverance for her?"</p><p>"It is worth it"  Mr Freze said looking Marinette in the eyes "but what can I do?  Right now they are going to put me in Arkham and most likely it will not come out for a while."</p><p> "Take advantage of the silence, reflect and find a way to bring her back without putting other lives at risk."</p><p> Mr Freze fell into reflective silence.</p><p> Robin had been impressed by the girl once more.  Not only had she shown empathy for her captor, which Damian would generally condemn, she had also pointed out the errors in his ideology and made him reflect.  Robin did not have much faith that this would change Mr Freze, but he would keep an eye on the situation.</p><p> What amazed Damian the most was the fact that Marinette wasn't scared of him at all.</p><p> Marinette sat on the floor while still hugging the kitten, which by the way was snuggled snugly into her chest. She started humming a song while checking his hind leg, it was no longer frosty but it was still trembling and apparently it hurt.</p><p> "Is your cat okay?"</p><p> Even Damian was surprised at the fact that he was looking for conversation with this girl.  She just turned to see him and analyzed him for a few seconds, then smiled and indicated that he should sit down.</p><p>"It seems that his leg is hurt, otherwise it seems to be fine."</p><p>"I see."</p><p> "By the way, it's not mine."</p><p> "What?"</p><p>"This little friend is not mine, he just jumped on me.  I guess he was running away."</p><p> Robin stared at her in amazement.  During the entire situation in which this young girl was held hostage she had been protecting a cat that was not even her pet.</p><p> Damian Wayne was an animal lover, anyone who knew him knew it.  Therefore, this disinterested action on the part of the French girl raised the respect that he already had for her, and her curiosity grew again.  He wanted to know more about this girl.</p><p> "Do you by any chance know where there will be an animal shelter here in Gotham?"</p><p>"There is one across the park."</p><p> "Thank you very much.  Do you know if the Wayne hotel accepts animals?"</p><p> Yes, recently, Damian had made sure to discuss the matter with his father.  Now the Wayne Hotel had a policy that allowed animals.</p><p>"You just have to explain the situation at the front desk"</p><p> "Thanks again."</p><p> "Will you take the cat to your hotel room?"</p><p>"At least until tomorrow." While they talked Marinette kept examining the kitten's paw, it seemed that it was very painful because he complained at the slightest touch.  "You don't happen to know if there will be a vet open around this time, do you?"</p><p> Damian thought about it for a few minutes, there was a clinic run by a fairly competent vet about 15 minutes from Crime Alley, Dr. Ferries was competent enough to care for her animals without going crazy.  Also, if he was not mistaken, she lived on the second floor of the clinic, so surely she was at home .</p><p> The woman lacked a social life.</p><p> Even so...</p><p>"You could go tomorrow ..."</p><p> "No," said Marinette respectfully but confidently.  Another point in their favor, although the majority they feared was Batman, few had the guts to answer any Gotham watcher without his voice trembling.  Marinette kept talking "it would be better if he had medical attention as soon as possible, his leg is hurt, I don't want to touch it too much to not  damage it.  But if it's something internal, it could get worse at night and I'd rather be safe than sorry"</p><p> "You are not sure to wander the streets of Gotham at night." Marinette's face fell instantly and Damian felt a little guilty.  He turned to see the cat (serious mistake) and his guilt increased so much so that he could not stop before the words left his mouth "if you want I can escort you once you have finished giving your statement."</p><p> Marinette's face seemed to light up as she smiled and nodded.</p><p> Wow it was expressive.</p><p> Batwoman watched them from a distance and smirked at Robin.  While they waited for the police to arrive, she approached him.</p><p> "I heard what you promised" Damian tensed a little while waiting for the tease by Kate, but it did not come "Do you want me to wait for you here?"</p><p> "That would be appropriate," said Robin, internally thanking Batwoman for being here instead of any of her dumb brothers.</p><p> After five minutes the GPD arrived at the scene.  Robin was relieved to see Commissioner Gordon among those present.  That would make everything faster.</p><p> After a few minutes the statements had been taken and both heroes observed a strict-looking woman getting out of a car wearing sunglasses and a bokken as a cane.</p><p> "Mother, good evening"</p><p> The woman turned to where her daughter's voice was coming from and where she supposed her friends would be and sighed.</p><p> "Girls, why is it that wherever we go you always get into trouble? </p><p>"Very bad luck?"</p><p>"We didn't get involved, they got us involved."</p><p>"Believe me mother, I ask myself that same question every day."</p><p> Batwoman decided to intervene at that time.</p><p>"Excuse me ma'am, these girls were caught by Mr Freze who is one of Gotham's villains to be very careful with." Kate said observing the reactions of the woman "it wasn't their fault so I don't think you should scold them."</p><p>"I wasn't" she said in a firm voice "I am fully aware that the three of them are smart enough not to look for trouble. I was only pointed out a fact."</p><p>"If Tomoe was scolding us then she would use that scary gesture." Marinette mentioned.</p><p> At that moment Tomoe stepped both hands on her bokken and furrowed her eyebrows, at that the three girls trembled a little.</p><p> "Yup, that gesture."</p><p> The woman sighed again but relaxed her expression.</p><p>"Did any of you get hurt?"</p><p>"No Tomoe / mother" all three said at the same time, then Chloe added:</p><p>"But I still haven't bought honey for my tea."</p><p> There was a small silence and then the three girls laughed while Tomoe tried to hide a smile.</p><p>"Well, if that's all you three should got into the car, we will go to the supermarket for Chloe's honey and we will return to the hotel and the two of you" she said pointing to Marinette and Chloe with his bokken "you will call your parents."</p><p> "Yes Tomoe / mother."</p><p> Both Robin and Batwoman had been watching the exchange with interest.  Tomoe, who seemed to be Kagami's mother seemed a strict woman but her concern for the three girls was evident.<br/> At that moment Commissioner Gordon approached.</p><p> <br/>" Excuse me ma'am" he said to which the woman turned "the girls may be a little bit shock to be attacked by a villain.  Maybe they should go to the hospital."</p><p> "That won't be necessary." Tomoe said, feeling the disbelief in the man's breathing, added "all three confirmed that they are not hurt and none is stupid enough to lie to me about it."</p><p> "I understand, but the shock ..."</p><p> "Officer, I understand that you are doing your job and I don't intend to interfere, but unfortunately this is not the first time that they have been involved in an attack by villains, in Paris we have attacks like this at least once a week."</p><p> Gordon was silent and Batwoman and Robin noted the fact that this woman may be referring to the Akumas that the girls mentioned earlier.  They really had to investigate.</p><p>"Now, if you'll excuse us."</p><p> "Actually, I wanted to go see a vet.  This kitty got hurt before this whole mess and I want to be sure it's going to be okay."</p><p>"You're not going alone, Marinette."</p><p> "I'll escort her."</p><p> Tomoe turned her face and approached Robin who, although he denied it until the day of his death, tensed a little.</p><p>" I see."</p><p> It was a few seconds before Chloe opened her mouth and said in a muffled chuckle:</p><p>"It's a miracle!  Pfff."</p><p>"Chloe !!"</p><p> "What did I say?"</p><p> Tomoe just smiled at Chloe's words.  She thought that probably the reason she had gotten along with Audrey Bourgeois was because the woman can talk without mincing and in fact had no regard for her being blind.  The change was refreshing. And of course, like mother, like daughter, Chloe was just like her mother in that.</p><p> Going back to the topic, Tomoe had a bit of knowledge about the Gotham City vigilantes, she knew that they were, nevertheless, basically heroes.  A normal person would trust them without hesitation. However, Tomoe did not consider herself normal, and this was Marinette. Marinette had been the first girl with whom her daughter had become friends on her own.  She had questioned Marinette's friendship and favored Adrien Agreste at first, she had been severe with the girls and the time they spent together, but when Adrien had betrayed his daughter's trust and love, when she felt stupid for having let her  Kagami get hurt, when Kagami had been about to break without her being able to do anything, then Marinette Dupain-Cheng had proven her worth.</p><p> The girl had shown incredible loyalty to her daughter.  When she found out that she had given up her first love in order for Kagami and Adrien to be happy, she hardly believed it.  And then when Kagami was wounded in her heart, she ran to her side to hold her until Kagami could stand up. Marinette had proven to be like blood, rushing to the wound.</p><p> When she had heard from Kagami about the whole incident with the Gothamite villain, his first instinct was to take all three, get them on a plane and send them back to Paris, the hell with the tournament.  Then she remembered that the main reason for the trip was to get Chloe and Marinette away from the toxic environment they were in and began to ask herself if the girls would like to visit Kyoto.</p><p>"Can I go?  Please Tomoe, while you buy the honey and Robin says it is close.</p><p> Tomoe knew that the three girls had developed a great love for animals since they started volunteering at the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, actually Kagami had convinced her to rescue Kiseki, the dog that was now part of the Tsurugi family.</p><p> Sighing, knowing that Marinette was not going to sleep if the cat was not checked, she nodded.</p><p> "Young man, you better return her safe and sound."</p><p>"I promise, ma'am."</p><p>"I'll take your word, Kagami, Chloe, get in the car."</p><p> Before leaving, Tomoe turned her head to where Marinette and Robin were.  The boy felt a slight chill.</p><p>"Should we go now?" Robin asked trying to hide the chill that woman had caused him.</p><p> "Sure," said Marinette, smiling.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sooo, this is the new chapter, I'm really sorry for the late update,this is the thing.</p><p>I'm from El Salvador, we are in quarantine and since I worked in a call center I'll be working from home so we ordered an upgrade on the internet. There was a confusion in the order and they canceled our Internet and I had to wait a lot to get a tech to reinstall with the upgrade, the good thing is that since I'm working from home I'll have more time now.</p><p>So in regards of the chapter. I had to rewrite this like 4 times because it never convinced me. </p><p>I don't want a love at first sight story because there is a lot like that and I wanted to make something different, I don't wanted a hate at first sight either because I don't think I can nailed it, so I wanted Damian to get to know Marinette first, and I wanted  a good first impression, I  think this is the best that I can do at least for now.</p><p>I'll be updating soon and I'll like to let you know that I'll be writing a secondary story that happens on the same universe that "Fate or Chance". Is going to be mostly fluff and daily life stories, for example I am going to write there how Nathaniel found out that Lila was lying and how Sabine, Audrey and Tomoe became friends. </p><p>Another thing is that the Brigitte Bardot Foundation is real they have a Facebook page where you can get info about adoption.</p><p>I think that's all, thanks for reading and please if you have any question or suggestion or anything else, leave a comment, I really enjoy reading those.</p><p>Farewell fellows <br/>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A little bit of faith</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Marinette and Robin had a little debate about naivety and hope.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette and Robin began to walk in pleasant silence.  Before they knew it, they were in front of a veterinary clinic. Robin rang the bell and within minutes a woman with tousled brown hair answered the door.</p><p>“Who is it?  I’m busy. AHH!”  Seeing Robin, himself, accompanied by a girl at the door of her office, poor Dr. Elizabeth Ferries could not help but gasp.</p><p>“Good evening, Dr. Ferries, we need your assistance.”</p><p>“Holy croquettes! He's Robin!” she gasped pointing frantically to the teenager. “You're Robin!”<br/>    <br/>“Last time I checked, yes, I was,” Robin sighed with a weary expression as Marinette giggled.</p><p> “As entertaining as this is, we need your help. Could you check on this kitty, please?” Marinette asked, smiling at the vet.</p><p>     “Yes, of course, that's my job,” replied Dr. Ferries, a little embarrassed by her behavior.</p><p>The young doctor let them pass and began to check the kitten.  After a few minutes it was over.</p><p>“There is no fracture or dislocation, but it seems to have received a blow that, added to the drastic change in temperature, will cause some swelling,” she told them, while looking for some pain medicine on a shelf.  “It isn't serious, but it's painful. You did well to bring him in, this little boy would not have slept comfortably and the swelling would have worsened. Apply a little of this ointment to his hind leg and make sure to wrap him up well tonight.”</p><p>“Understood.  Thank you very much for your help, Dr. Ferries.”</p><p>“It was nothing, Marinette.”</p><p>“I just have one question.”</p><p> “Shoot.”</p><p>“Why are you avoiding looking at Robin?”</p><p>“Good question Marinette,  I was trying not to go all fan-girl over him.”</p><p>     “Oh, I see.”</p><p>Robin watched the interaction between the two, somewhat amazed at Marinette's ability to set people at ease.  Dr. Ferries had been exited and anxious when they had entered and after a few minutes of conversation the woman was comfortable as she checked the cat and gave Marinette the medicine for the swelling. After a few minutes and a selfie for the doctor as thanks for having taken care of them so late, the two teenagers made their way to the hotel where the girl was staying. Robin tried to keep the stoic expression that characterized him but he found it difficult with Marinette beside him giggling.</p><p>“I don't know what you find so funny, Miss.”</p><p>“Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but you have to admit that it was kind of funny to see you acting so on guard with her.  By the way, you can call me ‘Marinette.’”</p><p>     “I'm always on guard, Miss.”</p><p> “‘Marinette,’ but I agree with you. I imagine that the hero's work never rests.”</p><p>“‘Vigilantes,’ actually. I appreciate your understanding, Miss."</p><p>“‘Marinette,’ and I think that helping the needy without asking for anything in return qualifies you and your companions as heroes.</p><p>“Thank you, Miss, but I think the first image that comes to people's minds when talking about heroes is far from the image of Batman.”</p><p>“At least if you ask me, I can say that as for heroes, at least American heroes, my first option would be you, Robin,” she declared “ and Batwoman.”</p><p>Robin was surprised by Marinette's words and by the warmth he felt when listening to them. Usually when people thought of heroes, the first image that came to their mind was Superman. He had to admit that it was not unpleasant to receive someone's thanks. The Gotham people generally assumed that Batman would save them, and although they sometimes thanked them, they preferred to get away from their family, more than anything else, as soon as possible.</p><p>Even those who were fans of the Batfamily saw him less and he was continually compared to his brothers. Damian generally did not mind that; although, a part of him remained attached to his mother's teachings, making the opinions of the citizens of Gotham seem insignificant, but he had to admit that the fact that Marinette considered him a hero, not an assistant, made him feel ... fine.  Which put him on guard. He decided to change the subject.</p><p>“You are too naive, Marinette.”</p><p> Marinette turned to see him with a pout.  Damian would, of course, try to change the subject by criticizing her.</p><p>“Why is the first time you say my name is to criticize me?”</p><p>The funny thing about the situation is that, while Marinette was looking at him, her feline friend also looked at him, lowering his ears and making cat-eyes (never better said). It seemed that the cat was conspiring to make Marinette more adorable. </p><p>Robin watched her as he stifled a laugh, instead he just smiled at her.  He was surprised by Marinette's ability to make him relax when not even his family had been capable of such a feat.  Another reason to be on guard, this girl was not normal.</p><p>“Besides,” added Marinette, smiling, “I prefer the term ‘extremely positive’ instead of ‘naïve.’”</p><p>“I think that ‘naïve’ suits you better.”</p><p>“Defend your case, Monsieur Robin.”</p><p>Robin watched her for a few seconds before opening his mouth. “You are making a hasty judgment based on a single act of ‘heroism’ to define Batwoman and myself </p><p>“The same kind of hasty judgment that you are making when calling me naïve? My ‘proof’ is the fact that you actually saved us.”</p><p>“What if I told you that my priority was not to help you? If I told you I was only looking to capture Freeze and rescuing you was just a lucky coincidence?”</p><p>“I would say, Monsieur Robin, that you are lying.”</p><p>“Defend your case, Miss Marinette.”</p><p>She looked at him with a challenging smile.  Interesting, in what little time it took to have met her, he had seen her smile multiple times, but this smile was different, and curiously enough, quite interesting.</p><p>“You guys took your time analyzing before attacking.”</p><p>“Only an idiot would launch into battle without analyzing the situation, someone like Red Hood.”</p><p>“You followed the clues that I gave you, both of you had the patience to follow the path established by a civilian, and, not to mention, I noticed that you did not attack until you realized Mr. Freeze's henchmen were not focus on us.”</p><p>“All information is valuable during a combat; the fact that we used information from a civilian does not prove anything.”</p><p>“Right, Monsieur Robin, you have a point,” she acknowledged, as she put on her challenging smile again, “but I have a counter argument.”</p><p>“Seriously? I’d like to hear it.”</p><p>“At the end of the battle, as I approached Freeze, you followed me closely.  You kept your katana at your fingertips at all times, until I got up. I think, Monsieur, if your objective had been solely to capture Mr. Freeze, any collateral damage that I would have suffered by my own action would not have mattered,” she said as she stood in front of him. “There is no need to explain that Batwoman was even more attentive in her interaction with us.”</p><p>Robin was about to reply when Marinette continued, “that, of course, is not counting the fact that you two actually listened to us. I honestly think that has already raised you several points on my scale. Sure, it's not a big deal when you consider that I only judge people with whom I have already had an interaction and the only American hero who meets that condition is a bit of an egotistical and foolish person who refused to even investigate a call for help of an entire city.”</p><p>Ok, the girl was smart.  Damian couldn't help but smile.  Marinette was a nice girl, but she could be really outspoken to defend her opinions.</p><p>“It seems to me, Miss,” Damian could not help smiling when he saw her pout, “that you harbor a certain resentment towards Green Lantern.”</p><p>“However, I still consider him a hero.  A little egotistical and immature, but still a hero.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>Damian was not expecting to sound so incredulous as the words left his mouth. Damian didn't really like Hal Jordan and Barry Allen at all, but at least Allen had gotten better when he made West his protégé. Jordan was still a headache.</p><p>“I am aware that the situation in Paris looks like something out of a storybook. I don't know what kind of enemies he must face on a daily basis, but I know that, for him, the enemies he considered real had priority.”</p><p>“Even so,” Robin trailed off.</p><p>“Let me ask you a question, Robin. If one day I came and told you that there is a chance that Paris is in danger, would you go help? After all, it's a possibility but if you knew that the Joker was planning an attack that week, what would you do?” </p><p>Robin was silent for a few minutes, not knowing what to answer. Then Marinette spoke, “I wouldn't blame you if you weren't going to help us. The threat from Paris is possible but not certain; while the threat from the Joker is a reality for you, so I do not think that Green Lantern is a lousy hero for prioritizing threats that he already knows instead of those that could be false.” Then she lowered her head and Robin saw uncertainty and pain in her gaze. “But for us it is real, even if Ladybug fixes everything at the end and revives the dead; the deaths, the pain, the fear ... everything is real.”</p><p>Damian, for the second time that night, did not know what to say to the young Parisian. He understood her analogy and appreciated her honesty. But seeing her like this, hurt and helpless, made him feel uncomfortable. Marinette had proven herself to be a confident young woman when confronting Mr. Freeze's henchmen, kind-hearted in speaking to him, and considerate in taking the trouble to confirm that a stray cat was safe and sound. </p><p>Before he could say anything to comfort the girl, and Damian was surprised to even think about it, she squeezed her face and put a smile on her face. “So, Monsieur Robin, what other argument do you have to call me ‘naïve’?"</p><p>Robin watched her for a few seconds, unsure what to do in the face of the more than obvious change of subject, but decided to play along. Still, he didn't know what to say to comfort her. “I think your interaction with Mr. Freeze supports my point.”</p><p>“Is that so?”</p><p>“Not only did you approach him without any care, which was frankly stupid, but also, your talk with him seems to show that you have some hope that he will change.”</p><p>“First, how rude. Second, I see the validity of your argument, but at the same time, I must say that nothing I said was wrong.”</p><p>“Do you actually think Mr. Freeze is going to leave the villainy overnight just for your words? That sounds naïve to me, not to say delusional.”</p><p>“At no time did I say it would be overnight,” Marinette said respectfully, but with defiance in her eyes, “I just said, and I maintain, that Dr. Victor Fries is someone smart enough to look for another alternative.”</p><p>“For someone who has already fallen into crime, getting out of the hole is almost impossible.  Most of the reformed cases are criminals that are not active at the moment.”</p><p>“You said it yourself, ‘almost.’ The possibility exists. Let's take a closer look at the situation with Mr. Freeze. Before coming to Gotham City, I decided to do a little research on its heroes and villains.”</p><p>“What did you learn?”</p><p>“That my fear of clowns is justified.”  Both were silent a few seconds before laughing softly, “no, seriously, as a child they terrified me.”</p><p>“Curious, you still decided to come.”</p><p>“You can't judge a place by what a bad person does.” Robin shot her a knowing look. “Well, a dozen or two of bad people.”</p><p>“That is my exact point,” Robin mocked with a smile, “you are too naïve.”</p><p>“It's not that,” said Marinette, pouting, as the kitten pulled himself together, lowering his ears, “what I mean is that, even in a place where there is so much pain and sorrow in the air, every morning the people of Gotham get up, spend time with their families and love. At the end of the day, there are more good people than bad.”</p><p>Robin was silent for a few seconds without knowing what to say. It was a logical argument, extremely optimistic, but logical. The reason why his father and family protected Gotham City at night was because of the civilians who only wanted to live their lives quietly. That said, Robin did not like to lose. “What does that have to do with Mr. Freeze?”</p><p>Marinette seemed satisfied with her small victory and smiled. Robin would deny until the day of his death that he found her smile adorable.</p><p>“Well, Monsieur Robin, going back to the main topic, the story of Mr. Freeze seemed interesting to me. Basically, he almost lost his wife to an incurable disease, and, since he was a cryogenic expert, he froze his wife's body to prevent the disease from progressing.”</p><p>“The good intentions he may have do not justify his actions, Miss Marinette.”</p><p>“Of course not,” Marinette agreed looking into his eyes. “Nothing justifies harming other people. My point here is that before Mr. Freeze started committing crimes, Dr. Victor Fries tried to find another solution, am I wrong?”</p><p>Robin thought for a few minutes about his father's file of Mr. Freeze. It had certainly been a couple of years since the Nora Fries freeze and the first appearance of Mr. Freeze. Robin guessed Marinette was right, Fries had searched for an alternative, but ...</p><p>“He gave up,” Robin said after a few minutes thinking. “You are not mistaken, but the fact is that he gave up.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Marinette declared still looking into his eyes, "he lost sight of why he did it. Even now, if he decided not to follow the same path, he would still have to deal with the consequences of his past actions.”</p><p>“So, what's the point?”</p><p>“The point is that it is never too late to regret and change. He will have to face the consequences of his actions. But I think by now he has forgotten why he started doing it.”</p><p>“I see your point. After all, power can corrupt, and he had within his reach weapons that gave him power. But I still believe that there is no way out for him.”</p><p>“I believe that what caused him to fall can save him.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“His wife.”</p><p>“How so?” Robin was intrigued. Until now, the points Marinette had brought up seemed somewhat idealistic, too good to be true.  But she had validated each point with logical arguments, even for him. She intrigued him and he wanted to continue listening to her.</p><p>“I read about Nora Fries. She was a good woman who wanted to help people with her research. She definitely would not approve of her husband's methods of healing her. I think he had already forgotten that.”</p><p>“I understand, but if it was the frustration of not finding a cure, it was what pushed Freeze to commit crimes. What makes you sure that it won't happen again?”</p><p>“I don't know.” Seeing the incredulous look of the young hero, Marinette just giggled. “Don't look at me like that, it's impossible to be a hundred percent sure that what I said is going to cause a change. No one can force another person to reform; changes must come from within and must be desired.”</p><p>“Then why take the trouble?”</p><p>“Because each person has the opportunity to change. It is up to them to do it, but the door is open. Also, I want to be the type of person who believes in others. Mistrusting others is easy, anyone can do it, but I think believing in others and seeing them make the right decision is more rewarding.”</p><p>“I think I understand you, although I'm not sure Freeze will be able to find a cure without falling into crime again. After all, the other way, if it exists –” </p><p>“It exists,” Marinette interrupted him. "There is always a way for those who have the intelligence and perseverance to look for it. And sometimes love can be the biggest driver for perseverance, however corny it sounds.”</p><p>“You're right,” Robin said, not realizing that he was sincerely smiling at the girl in front of him, “it sounds corny.”</p><p>“Haha, that's funny” Marinette said sarcastically, “laugh if you want, but I still believe that life tastes better with a little faith.”</p><p>“Interesting theory, but I maintain my argument. You are naïve.”</p><p>“That doesn't sound like an argument to me, it sounds like an affirmation.”</p><p>“Take it as you like,” he added with a mocking smile, "Miss."</p><p>Robin was honestly surprised at how easy it was to talk to Marinette.  They had had a very interesting exchange of arguments and above all, it had been an experience that was, well, funny. Damian was used to having conversations with Lucy, but it had taken him almost a year to trust her enough to feel comfortable during their talks. With Marinette, the words flowed spontaneously. What a curious and strange girl.</p><p>“Just so you know, I talked to Mr. Freeze because, from the moment he caught my friends, the kitten, and myself, he didn't hurt us; he just didn't want us to spoil his ... bad stuff.”</p><p>“Bad stuff?”</p><p>“Do not laugh!” She said with a smile, “I know it sounds silly when I say it out loud –”</p><p>“Certainly.”</p><p>“But the point remains, he made sure that his henchmen didn't hurt us. If, instead of Mr. Freeze, I had seen the Joker, I would definitely have run away as soon as I had the chance.”</p><p>“‘If’ you had the chance.”</p><p>     “Good point.”</p><p>“Anyway, I doubt you would be so unlucky that you would meet the Joker on your first night in Gotham.”</p><p>“You have no idea. You better not tease my luck.”</p><p>He let out a slight laugh as they approached the hotel. The rest of the way passed in comfortable silence until they stood in front of the gates of the majestic Wayne Hotel.</p><p>“Do you really think there will be no problems with the cat?”</p><p>“There should be no problem.”</p><p>Seeing Marinette's concerned expression, Robin began to search for another alternative.  It bit stupid; in fact, he was sure that if any of his brothers found out, those morons would bother him even at his own funeral.</p><p>“Which is your room?”</p><p>“It’s that one, with the balcony full of flowers. Chloe and I prefer to have live plants nearby.”</p><p>Ok, perfect, the balcony was within view.</p><p>“If you like, we can evade the front desk.”</p><p>“Seriously?”</p><p>“Are you afraid of heights?” Marinette shook her head, watching him warily. Robin, meanwhile, wondered what in the hell he was doing. “Hold on, then.”</p><p>Marinette only had a couple of seconds to understand what Robin meant. Making sure the kitten was safe, she clung to Robin's body while he used one of his hooks to propel himself onto her balcony. Marinette let out a small yelp of surprise and before they knew it, they were already on her balcony.</p><p>“Ok, I didn't expect that.”</p><p>“Did I scare you?” Robin asked in a tone between challenging and mocking.</p><p>“Ha!  You wish.”</p><p>“Well, here you are, safe and sound as I promised your guardian. I guess I should go.” The two were silent for a few seconds watching each other. Then Marinette gave a little jump.</p><p>“Uh!  Wait a moment please.” She opened the sliding door of the room and ran inside. Damian barely had time to realize that the other two girls and the woman who accompanied Marinette were sitting in the room, surely waiting for the girl, when she returned with a paper bag in hand. “These are for you and your team. I hope you like cupcakes!”</p><p>Robin opened the bag and saw that there were about a dozen cupcakes of different flavors inside.</p><p>“You didn't have to bother.”</p><p>“It wasn't a bother. Baking is a nice hobby, but don't worry, my parents have a bakery at home so I know how to do it.”</p><p>“Thank you very much then. Ah! And do not worry, Batman will review the situation in Paris.”</p><p>“You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”</p><p>“You're welcome,” then he added with a mocking smile, “Miss.”</p><p>     “Ugh!  You are very annoying, Monsieur Robin.”</p><p>Robin smiled at her one last time before retiring.</p><p>Marinette stayed on the balcony until he was out of sight, then decided to go back to her room to attend to the kitten, wrap herself up, and sleep until she got rid of the jetlag, which is when she ran into three obstacles.</p><p>Tomoe was standing in the middle of the suite’s main room, where she stood with her hands resting on her bokken. It didn’t help that her friends were a few steps behind Tomoe, one on each side, with their arms crossed and an inquisitive pose, (in Chloe’s case, with an expectant smile).</p><p>“Well, Marinette, how did it go?”</p><p>Well, hell, goodbye to the idea of wrapping herself up and sleeping.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖<br/>Ok, this is the new chapter.</p><p>First of all, I'll like to thank to AO3 user DigitalMagpie for helping me edit this chapter. As I said before I'm not a native speaker so I really appreciate the help, I want to make sure that my work has some quality.<br/>So one more time thanks a lot to DigitalMagpie.</p><p>Now with the chapter...</p><p>I'm sorry for the delay, but the thing is that I rewrote this chapter like 4 times to get it right.<br/>I wanted to make sure that the first conversation between Marinette and Damian set the pace of the couple. </p><p>Next chapter will have batfamily moments and a little bit of Paris troubles. </p><p>I hope you like it, I'll try to get the next one sooner. </p><p>I think that's all.</p><p>Please be safe and:</p><p>Farewell fellows.</p><p>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Resolutions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Robin landed on the roof of a building near Crime Alley, where Batwoman was supposed to meet him.</p><p>Damian sat on the edge of the building as he recalled the events of that night.</p><p>Marinette was a very intriguing girl.  She displayed leadership skills that generally took years to appear, was intelligent, and skillful with both fists and words, as well as kind.<br/>He had really enjoyed their discussion with her, it had been interesting and somewhat enlightening.</p><p>The little Parisian girl had somewhat naive ideals, but she was no fool, and above all Damian had realized the wisdom behind her words.  Also, whatever ideal she had, no matter how unrealistic it was, the girl had the guts and the arguments to defend them.</p><p>Undoubtedly meeting Marinette had been a pleasant experience.</p><p>And that scared Damian.</p><p>Normally he didn't open up to others so easily, it had taken Dick almost a year under his tutelage to gain the trust of Batman's son.  But with Marinette it was different, the girl had certainly dazzled him with her skills, but it was the open conversation they had that made his interest in her grow.</p><p>And what terrified him the most ... correction, Damian Wayne Al Ghul was not terrified, he was only concerned;  He was concerned at the fact that he wanted to see her again.</p><p>Damian decided to put those confused emotions aside and focus on something else.</p><p>For example, the situation in Paris.</p><p>From what the girls had said the problem had been controlled by the local heroes, whom Damian would investigate, until things had escalated to another level with the appearance of a villain named Mother's Wrath.  After that, the situation began to get out of hand for the Parisian heroes.</p><p>The whole situation was actually quite strange, from the powers of the heroes to those of the villain, but the sad thing is that this was not the oddest thing Damian had ever seen in his life, heck, it was not the oddest thing he had seen in one week.</p><p>He was deep in thought when he felt Batwoman land next to him.</p><p>"What's up, Damian?"</p><p>"No names" Robin said to which Batwoman just rolled her eyes with annoyance "everything went well, she is now in her hotel room."</p><p>"That's good" at that moment Kate looked at the paper bag in Robin's hands "What's in the bag?"</p><p>"Cupcakes" Robin replied, "Marinette gave them to me as thanks."</p><p>Batwoman opened the bag and the pleasant smell spread.</p><p>"There are about twelve cupcakes. Are you going to eat them alone?"</p><p>"Don't be ridiculous" replied the offended boy " I'm not Todd.  She said it was for us, I'm assuming she meant the whole team."</p><p>"How cold Damian!  You called us family before."</p><p>" No names, Batwoman."</p><p>"Anyway, did you get more information about the situation in Paris or did you just flirt with her?"</p><p>Damien felt himself blush, he was Damian Wayne Al Ghul, the demon's heir, the son of Batman, he was not blushing.</p><p>"Wait a minute. Did you flirt with her?"</p><p>" Don't be ridiculous. Where did you get tremendous nonsense?"</p><p>"You're blushing."</p><p>"I'm not."</p><p>"Yes, you are, would you like a mirror?"</p><p>" It is not necessary" Robin answered getting nervous when he heard Batwoman giggles "Anyway, I was NOT flirting with Marinette."</p><p>"And you call her by her name," Batwoman pointed out with a mocking smile, "as far as I know, you still call Dick by Grayson."</p><p>" That's because I don't know her last name."</p><p>" So, I assume you couldn't find out anything."</p><p>The young Wayne shook his head.</p><p>As he thought inside himself, nothing he could share with Batwoman.</p><p>"Well, yikes," Batwoman said while smiling "we better go report to the rest, those cupcakes look great."</p><p>"Tt"</p><p>Without more to say both vigilantes headed towards the Batcave.</p><p>Meanwhile, in a certain room in a certain hotel ...</p><p>Marinette considered herself a brave person, it took courage to take on Ladybug's alter ego.</p><p>As Ladybug regularly faced villains capable of destroying the Eiffel Tower, in fact, most had done so at least once.</p><p>She faced villains who measured more than a building almost once a month and still was not ashamed to admit it, seeing Tomoe and her friends waiting for explanations, she was scared.</p><p>"Well Marinette, how was it?"</p><p>"Everything was fine, Tomoe, thanks for asking."</p><p>"Hum Is there any particular reason why you decided to access our room in this so ... unusual way?"</p><p>She honestly had no idea.  Robin had made the decision to go up to the room like that, but he had probably noticed her discomfort at the thought of having to go through reception with the kitten in his arms, although he hadn't said anything about it.</p><p>But if she told Tomoe that it had been Robin's decision, knowing her as she knew her, she would surely criticize the young watcher.</p><p>"Well, I did not want to go through reception with the kitten in my arms, and well, well, I'm here.  That is what matters, right?"</p><p>"I screwed up"</p><p>Marinette knew that she had sounded stupid, the looks on her friend's faces was the extra proof that she needed, but she didn't know what else to say.</p><p>"Marinette, the unconventional way, let's say it that way, in which that boy got you is actually dangerous."</p><p>The three girls looked at each other, was that what Tomoe was worried about?  In fairness, they understood her.  They had not even been in Gotham City for 24 hours and had already met their first villain, all this while she attended to certain pending issues regarding the tournament in which Kagami would compete.</p><p>Still, being carried by one of the local heroes was nowhere near the most dangerous thing Marinette had done that week.</p><p>" I don't think you should worry about that, mother" Kagami spoke, gaining Tomoe's attention "the Gotham City vigilantes have a reputation for being competent.  I highly doubt that one of them would intentionally put Mari-hime at risk."</p><p>"Still, the fact is, the method he used to get to this room was actually dangerous."</p><p>"Ok, I get the point, but don't forget that Maribug has experience swinging around buildings before"</p><p>"I didn't swim, Chloe, Robin just carried me up from the door."</p><p>"Let me ask you something girls. Why would Marinette have that kind of experience?"</p><p>The question echoed in the room as Marinette became alarmed, Kagami glared at Chloe and the blonde looked for a place to hide or what to say.</p><p>"Well Tomoe, remember that, unfortunately, the class that Maribug and I are in has been attacked by Akumas several times and well, that kind of gives experience ..."</p><p>"Also, if I'm not mistaken, Mari-hime has been the target of several Akumas."</p><p>"That's right!  The miraculous team is always helping me so I got used to it" Marinette said with a nervous giggle.</p><p>For a few seconds, which felt eternal to the three teenage girls, Tomoe was silent, then sighed.</p><p>"Okay, do not forget to call your parents, I already informed them of the situation, but they had better hear from your mouth that you are fine.  Also, you three should go to sleep early, tomorrow we have to fix certain tournament issues and I don't want the jetlag to affect you."</p><p>"Yes, ma'am," the three said in unison, although with different tones, Kagami with a stoic voice, Marinette with a nervous voice and Chloe with an extremely happy tone.</p><p>Tomoe smiled slightly at the three girls as they headed to the other end of the suite, where their room was.</p><p>Upon arriving in the room she shared with her friends, Marinette settled into her bed, mentally preparing herself for the interrogation that her friends would surely subject her to.</p><p>The hotel suite they were staying in was beautiful.  It shared a living room and had two rooms, one with a Queen size bed, which was where Tomoe slept, and the other with two double beds, which the girls had joined to sleep together.</p><p>Right now, Marinette is seriously considering grabbing a sheet and going to sleep in the living room, that would be preferable to having to put up with Kagami's inquiring gaze and Chloe's mocking smile.</p><p>"Before you start the interrogation, let me call my parents to tell them that I'm alive."</p><p>Both girls just nodded without saying a word.</p><p>Marinette picked up her phone calculating, in Gotham City, it was already 9:00 PM, that meant that in Paris it was 3:00 AM.  The young Parisian was seriously considering whether calling them would be a good option, it was super late in Paris and she did not want to wake up her parents, on the other hand, if they were awake and waiting for her call, they surely would not go to sleep until talking to her.</p><p>Marinette was still considering her options when her phone rang, indicating an incoming call.  Seeing the screen, she noticed it was from his house so he answered quickly.</p><p>"Marinette?  Honey, are you ok?"</p><p>"Yes maman, don't worry. Is dad with you?"</p><p>"Yes, wait a minute, I'll place you on speaker.</p><p>"Here I am, honey Are you sure you're okay?"</p><p>"Yes, dad, I am."</p><p>"How is it possible that on your first night at Gotham they already attacked you?  Honey, maybe you should go back to Paris."</p><p>"Let's be fair dad, they didn't attack me, I was just involved in the attack, also I don't have a single scratch, the heroes of Gotham City came quickly and saved me before anything bad happened."</p><p>"Still, I don't like that my little girl is in danger."</p><p>"Calm down Tom, let the girl speak."</p><p>"Thanks, mom, dad, I'm perfectly fine."</p><p>"But..."</p><p>"Relax dad, trust me, I'm fine."</p><p>"By the way, honey, Tomoe said you were at a vet with one of Batman's partners, could you explain what happened?"</p><p>Marinette wondered to herself how it was possible that her mother's sweet tone of voice was scarier than the entire Mr. Freze affair.</p><p>After explaining the situation to her parents and promising that she would do everything in her power not to get into more trouble, Marinette hung up the call.</p><p>She turned to see her friends and sighed knowing that she wasn't going to be able to sleep until that crazy couple finished with her questioning.</p><p>"Well, at least I can wrap myself, it's getting cold"</p><p>Then, in the Batcave ...</p><p>Batman was silent, observing the disaster that his children (official and unofficial included) caused in the Batcave.</p><p>Jason was arguing with Tim, Stephanie was teasing Damian while he was glaring at her, Duke had gotten under the table to avoid a Batarang that Kate had thrown at Dick, Cassandra was sitting impassively to the chaos happening in front of her and Barbara by his side, waiting for him to say something.</p><p>Bruce Wayne AKA Batman sighed again.</p><p>He cleared his throat and everyone turned to see him.</p><p>"Anything to report?"</p><p>"I hate you."</p><p>"On top of that, Red Hood."</p><p>"Ah, well no.  All quiet.  It seems that the gangsters have taken a break."</p><p>Cassandra nodded at his words.</p><p>"All right, Red Robin, Batgirl."</p><p>"There was an escape attempt in Arkham, but we stopped it,"  Tim said seriously before being interrupted by Stephanie.</p><p>"Yep, Killer Croc will stay in Arkham for a little while.  It would be troublesome looking for Dundee to deal with him."</p><p>"Especially since he DOES NOT EXIST, Brown."</p><p>"Oh, Dami, don't be bitter.  Let me dream."</p><p>"Anyway," Tim said a little irritated with his girlfriend and his brother "the situation was controlled before anything could happen."</p><p>"Well done, Nightwing, Signal."</p><p>"The port was clean," Nightwing said "well, not clean, it was full of garbage and it stunk and Duke almost fell ..."</p><p>"Yes, whatever" Duke interrupted " there was no sign of the Penguin."</p><p>"I have a question."</p><p>"Go ahead, Nightwing."</p><p>"Did you notice, when assigning us together, how great 'Dick and Duke' sounds?"</p><p>Everyone fell silent as Duke covered his face in embarrassment.</p><p>"Well, who's hungry?"</p><p>"Very funny Steph."</p><p>"Thank you, thank you, I perform on Fridays."</p><p>"Could you stop your antics?  We are not done" Damian pointed out, clearly irritated.</p><p>"Aww!  Dami doesn't want to be left out!"</p><p>"Don't worry, little D, I will listen to you."</p><p>"Stop your nonsense, you two!"</p><p>"Well, but don't be mad," said Dick in an almost sung tone.</p><p>"Robin, Batwoman Anything to report?"</p><p>"Well," Kate started "we stopped Mr. Freze, but we ran into a situation, uh, peculiar."</p><p>Bruce frowned at this and motioned for Kate to continue.</p><p>"Well, Freze had three hostages, all three were girls of about 16 or 17 years old."</p><p>"Certainly, it's a bit weird for Freze to capture hostages."</p><p>"That's not the weird thing here, father."</p><p>"Explain yourself"</p><p>Damian took a few seconds to organize the ideas on his head before starting to speak.</p><p>"The three girls Freze held captive were not from Gotham.  One of them is here for the Wayne Foundation fencing tournament.  They come from Paris. They were ... interesting."</p><p>"Interesting?  Is our little Damian interested in someone of the female sex?  Open the champagne."</p><p>"Shut up, Todd!  That's not what I was talking about!" Damian yelled irritated "besides, it's obvious that you are only looking for excuses to drink"</p><p>"Don't be mad, demon spawn, I already told you that at your age it is normal to look at the  'feminine charms' " Jason said laughing, which was cut off when a knife landed next to his head, cutting a lock of hair in the process  "DAMMIT!  WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO YOU, LITTLE SHIT!"</p><p>"You happen to be an idiot, Todd"</p><p>"And what is that new about it?"</p><p>"Get lost, replacement!"</p><p>Bruce allowed them to argue a little longer, then he requested Kate to continue.</p><p>She then began the explanation.</p><p>She told them about how the three girls had remained calm while they were kidnapped, how the apparent leader of the group had provided them with useful information under the noses of their kidnappers, how, at the time of the action, the three girls had demonstrated considerable ability in hand-to-hand combat and then things got weird.</p><p>Kate proceeded then to relate what Marinette had told them.  From the appearance of Hawkmoth, the villain of Paris, to the reports to the League being rejected by Hall Jordan.</p><p>When he finished everyone in the Batcave was silent, reflecting on what Batwoman had said.</p><p>It was, without a doubt, a troubling situation, for which reflective silence was in place.</p><p>"So, demon spawn did like the girl."</p><p>"Go die, Todd!"</p><p>"Very late, I already did it and I didn't like it."</p><p>While Jason and Damian were arguing, Tim and Barbara were already on the batcomputer looking for information about it.  Bruce, meanwhile, was pondering the information.</p><p>The story Kate and Damian had told was a little fanciful and unbelievable, but Batman had seen much stranger things, for heaven's sake, two of his children had died and resurrected before.</p><p>So he decided not to dismiss the possibility that the Paris situation was real, at least not until Tim and Barbara investigated it.</p><p>When he refocused his attention on her children, he noticed that Jason and Damian had gone from verbal to physical threats, with Dick in the middle of both trying to stop them.</p><p>He cleared his throat, drawing the attention of his bizarre family and focused his gaze on Damian.</p><p>"Anything else to report?" When Jason opened his mouth, he added "Damian."</p><p>Bruce watched his generally stoic son get flustered, ok that was weird.</p><p>"Not exactly a report" He took out a paper bag "Marinette, one of the civilians, gave me this for us as a sign of gratitude."</p><p>When opening the bag, a pleasant smell spread through the Batcave.</p><p>Dick and Stephanie were the first to approach and gasp excitedly.</p><p>"CUPCAKES!"</p><p>"Watch out!  If the demon spawn brings them, they are surely poisoned."</p><p>"Nah, he didn't have time to poison them," Kate said absently as she approached the computer where Tim and Barbara were working "I saw when Marinette handed him the cupcakes, and trust me, there was no way that girl would do something like poison, she seemed like a bunny."</p><p>"And the devil didn't scare her away?" Jason asked with genuine curiosity as he approached the bag.</p><p>"A brave bunny" Kate rectified.</p><p>"Tim!  You have to try these!" Stephanie said as she took another bite from the cupcake "They are delicious!"</p><p>" Swallow first, Brown, you're disgusting."</p><p>"Don't bother me dwarf!"</p><p>Meanwhile, Dick had a look of pure bliss on his face.</p><p>"These are so yummy!" turning to see Damian added "Do you know where he bought them?  Mar' i and Kory would surely love to try these."</p><p>"She didn't buy them, she made them," Damian said absentmindedly, while she beat Stephanie in the hand so that she didn't get another cupcake," she said that her parents had a bakery in Paris."</p><p>"I only have one question," Duke said raising his hand while he took a cupcake and passed the rest "Why did she give them to you?"</p><p>"What do you mean, Thomas?"</p><p>"Don't be offended, kid, but most people are afraid of you."</p><p>"I already said it, Duke.  'Brave Bunny'"</p><p>Damian sent Kate a grateful look, to which she only winked.</p><p>Bruce was trying to guess what had happened when Tim and Barbara called him.</p><p>"I think we should further investigate the situation in Paris," Tim said when Bruce approached.</p><p>"Did you find anything?"</p><p>"That's the problem," Barbara said with a worried expression "we didn't find anything."</p><p>"And when I say nothing, it's nothing," Tim said with the same expression as Barbara "it is as if Paris had been erased from the map, any information we try to obtain is blocked."</p><p>At that information, Bruce frowned.  That was definitely not normal, the batcomputer had the best technology in the world, Bruce had made sure that his software was even more advanced than that of the watchtower.  If the batcomputer was having trouble finding information about an entire city, then something was definitely happening.</p><p>"Can you get more information?"</p><p>"We will try Bats," Barbara said with a frown and determined look "there is something strange in all this, I have a bad feeling."</p><p>Bruce nodded as he watched the rest of his family, which, by the way, had started a new fight, this time over the cupcakes.</p><p>Sighing, he went to the bag of cupcakes and took one, left his family in the cave, and went up to the manor.  Alfred was in the kitchen next to Selina.</p><p>"Good evening, master Bruce."</p><p>"Good evening Alfred," approaching his wife, he placed a kiss on her forehead, "good night to you too, Selina.</p><p>Selina smiled at her husband's show of affection, then she saw the expression on Bruce's face and asked:</p><p>"Did something happen?"</p><p>"Still nothing is certain," said Bruce, smiling at him, "don't worry."</p><p>"That doesn't convince me at all" the ex-thief answered smiling "What about Damian?  Is he still upset?"</p><p>Bruce was silent for a few minutes as he thought about what to answer.  All week Damian had been really pissed off at all the mayhem that Talia had brought in to his life, he knew his son was still frustrated by the fact that Talia had been able to hurt his best friend, it frustrated him to see the normally invulnerable Superboy in a cast.  That night, before going out on patrol, he had been grumpy, but something had changed.</p><p>Probably the thought of a potential new threat had distracted him from his anger, but something told him there was something else, he just didn't know what.</p><p>"He's better," he finally said to Selina, who was still waiting for his answer as she took a bite of the cupcake that Bruce had been holding a few seconds ago. "That's mine."</p><p>" It was"</p><p>"I thought the days of robberies were over, Selina."</p><p>Instead of answering her, Selina took a bite out of the cupcake while looking Bruce in the eyes with a mischievous smile.</p><p>They were both sharing glances when Alfred cleared his throat.</p><p>"Maybe you should consider continuing what you're doing upstairs," he said with a slight smile as he noticed Bruce's nervous expression, "the young masters are coming up now."</p><p>The moment Alfred had finished speaking, a clear yell was heard:</p><p>"GIVE ME MY KATANA BACK IN THIS INSTANT, TODD!"</p><p>"Now there is a girl in your life!"  Jason said extra dramatically. "You don't need your katana anymore!"</p><p>"A girl?" Selina questioned looking at Bruce.</p><p>"Don't listen to Todd, that helmet must have burned his brain."</p><p>"I don't think that's the case, Damian," Tim said to him as Alfred passed him a cup of coffee. "You need a brain for that."</p><p>"You two liked were better when Damian was trying to kill you,"  Jason said with a pout.</p><p>"Don't incite them to violence, Jay!"</p><p>"They can go there by themselves."</p><p>"I don't think that's the point Steph."</p><p>Bruce sighed for the tenth time that night as he watched the wild group in front of him, the group he called family.</p><p>He wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, and if this miraculous threat was as dangerous as he suspected ...</p><p>Bruce Wayne decided that in case that threat was real, he should neutralize it as soon as possible.</p><p>******************************************</p><p>Lois was hungry.</p><p>That was their first morning in Paris, they had just left the train station with Nadja and Manon and had headed to 'Tom &amp; Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie' for breakfast when Lois had witnessed her first Akuma attack.</p><p>On the one hand, that was good, she wasn't sure how long she would be in Paris before she could confirm her friend's story, on the other hand, they had just arrived and she was honestly hungry.</p><p>Therefore, it is understandable her surprise and disgust when she saw what seemed to be a giant devastating everything in his path, the disgust multiplied when she heard Manon:</p><p>"Poor August," she said as they ran away from the giant. "Surely the kindergarten kids were making fun of him again."</p><p>"Kindergarten?!" She yelled incredulously "Please tell me he's a worker there!"</p><p>"He's five years old!"  Mother and daughter replied.</p><p>Lois had no time for shock because then a car had been thrown at them.</p><p>She closed her eyes preparing for the impact when she felt that she was lifted from the ground by a gust of wind, gust of wind that transformed into a girl.</p><p>" Are you fine?" Asked the girl, emphasis on GIRL.  Lois was too shocked to answer, so Manon spoke up.</p><p>"We are fine, thanks Ryuko."</p><p>The young heroine, Ryuko, nodded before speaking:</p><p>"You have to get out of here."  There's a shelter on the right, hurry up.</p><p>The three nodded and ran towards the direction Ryuko had indicated, where there was a girl with short hair and a cap guiding the rest of the civilians.  Manon recognized the girl and ran towards her.</p><p>"Sophie!"  She said hanging herself from the girl, who smiled when she saw the little girl "I missed you!"</p><p>"I'm glad to see you, too, pipsqueak," she said as she ruffled Manon's hair. "You can tell me later how was your trip,  right now, go and save yourself."</p><p>"Lois, could you follow Sophie?  She will indicate you where the refuge is."</p><p>"What about you?"</p><p>"I have to go cover the attack."</p><p>"But..."</p><p>"Sorry Lois, I promise I'll give you more information later."</p><p>"I take care of the pipsqueak, Ms. Nadja."</p><p>"Thanks, Sophie."</p><p>Nadja then ran out to where the attack was taking place.</p><p>Lois stayed still, and for the first time in her career years, she didn't know what she was doing.  Seeing the uncertainty of the woman, Sophie took her hand as she began to guide her to a shelter where there were already civilians.</p><p>"Calm down, Ms. Nadja has been in a lot of attacks, almost every time unscathed"</p><p>"Almost?!"</p><p>"OK, that didn't go well. What I meant was that if the situation becomes dangerous, one of the heroes will bring her here."</p><p>"Why go so far for news?"  Lois knew that was hypocritical of her, but her friend was in danger.</p><p>"Because we need help," she said with a hurt and irritated expression, "The Justice League thought this was a joke, we need proof."</p><p>Lois looked guilty, she herself had thought the idea sounded ridiculous.  The only reason he had agreed to help was that Nadja was his friend.  He was thinking about it when he heard Nadja's voice from a newscast.</p><p>"Good afternoon Paris, this is Nadja Chamack, reporting from the battle of our team of heroes against the latest akumatization victim." Nadja said while in the background the chaos that the giant was causing was observed: "And here she comes, Ladybug is here."</p><p>Lois approached the screens where the battle was seen.  The heroine who had saved them earlier was on one side of the street, next to a boy in a fox-themed costume, on the other side a girl in a bee costume and a boy in an aqua costume that resembled a species of reptile.  In the middle of the street was what she assumed was Ladybug next to a boy in a catsuit.</p><p>Lois watched as the six boys battled Gigantitan, who was apparently the poor boy's alter ego name while trying not to hurt him.  She was so focused watching the battle that she hardly noticed the blonde woman beside her, who was tearfully watching the screen.</p><p>"August, my baby," said the woman, watching as the heroes tried to contain the little boy.</p><p>Lois didn't need to think long to realize that this was the boy's mother.</p><p>That was enough for her to know that the moment she set foot in America, she would force Clark to let her see who had rejected these people's requests for help.</p><p>That was no joke.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry for not being able to post anything in more than a month. I was in a horrible block. I knew what I wanted to write but I couldn't find a way to put it on words.</p><p>However, I'm pretty satisfied with the result.</p><p>Any comment is welcome. </p><p>Farewell fellows. </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Battle on the streets of Paris</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just a little warning, there is a part of this chapter that can be kind of hard, not to much.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sophie Aubriot was a girl who considered herself a perceptive person, so it had been easy for her to notice how the current Akuma was affecting the woman Nadja had left in her care.  She knew that anyone who knew what akumatization entailed, the fact that a five-year-old infant was the victim of someone getting into his head and taking advantage of his insecurities and emotions, anyone found that outrageous.  An outsider eye on the other hand ...</p><p>However, seeing the anger reflected on the woman's face, Sophie knew that somehow she understood.  Nadja had surely explained to her the situation Paris was in, probably before planning her visit, so Sophie was trying to figure out why Nadja, a responsible woman who actually had contact with the miraculous team, had dragged a stranger into the disaster that was Paris nowadays.</p><p>Sighing, Sophie decided to look for Manon to ask what the hell her mother was thinking of when August's mother's sobs caught her attention.  Sophie hurried to the woman's side while carrying a glass of water with her.</p><p>"Would you like a glass of water, Mrs. Camus?" She asked as he stood next to her, the woman just nodded with teary eyes.</p><p>Sophie stayed by August's mother side until she finished the glass of water, then began petting the young mother's back.</p><p>"Why?" She said in a tearful voice "He is just a baby, why attack him?"</p><p>"Because Hawkmoth is a damn fool who seems to delight in human pain," Sophie thought.  Not that he was going to tell Mrs. Camus, she wasn't that insensitive.</p><p>She stayed by her side and heard her cry, then, when she had organized her ideas, she said:</p><p>"I cannot answer your question, but what I can assure you, Mrs. Camus, is that our heroes are going to save your son."</p><p>Sophie knew that a "don't worry" was useless, the woman's son was being the victim of a villain at that precise moment, of course, she was going to worry.</p><p>The woman who had arrived with Nadja had been watching her while she was talking to Mrs. Camus.  It seemed that she was about to speak when a thunderous sound interrupted her.  The three of them turned to see the screen where the miraculous team was fighting Gigantitan.</p><p>****************************************<br/>Meanwhile, in the battle zone ...</p><p>Marinette was angry.</p><p>Correction, she was tired and angry.</p><p>After finishing the call to her parents, Chloe and Kagami had cornered Marinette for answers.</p><p>The poor thing was tired, they had arrived in Gotham City late, then they had gone out to get honey for Chloe's tea and then, they had been involved in the incident with Mr. Freze and, although Robin and Batwoman had saved them, they had to wait to give an statement.  Then she had gone with Robin to the vet and when she got to her room she had no chance to sleep because her two supposed best friends had questioned her until late.  She had eaten a little and had gone to bed very tired, but, for any reason, she couldn't sleep, and when she had finally managed to fall asleep, the phones of the three girls alerted them to an Akuma attack.</p><p>So it is no wonder that Marinette was tired and angry.  At least she wasn't cold anymore.</p><p>Ladybug watched the mess Gigantitan was causing.  Poor August.  Like other recurring villains, Gigantitan had improved his skills over time, his movements were no longer uncoordinated as when he was a baby, and he was smarter and, unfortunately, more dangerous, which was troublesome.</p><p>" We have to finish this quickly." She said with a determined gaze "Feu Fox, distract him!  Empress Abeille, neutralize him!"</p><p>"You got it LB" Feu Fox said with a smirk as he jumped to the nearest electricity pole.</p><p>"Understood Ladybug," said Empress Abeille, following Feu Fox closely "Wait for me, you foolish fox!"</p><p>"Ryuko, how's the evacuation going?"</p><p>"The intelligent civilians are already in the shelters" she replied with annoyance, Ladybug sighed.</p><p>"Alya again?" She asked, although she already knew the answer.</p><p>"If something happens to that, that ... girl, I'm not responsible."</p><p>"Who is corrupting our Ryuko?" Ladybug said with a smile "I think you wanted to swear just now"</p><p>"Between the fights of Abeille and Fox and the language of my boyfriend's mother, take a guess."</p><p>Ladybug smiled, then turned to see Ryuko with a serious expression.</p><p>"Even if you don't like it, protect her."</p><p>"Okay," Ryuko sighed "but if I have to choose between protecting Madame Chamack or the little gossip girl, I think you know who I will give priority to."</p><p>Ladybug decided not to push the subject any further, instead, impatiently turned to an alley from which two boys emerged.</p><p>One of them was wearing a full black feline-themed suit, cat ears sticking out of his turquoise spiked black hair.  Marinette was surprised how Luka could wear an outfit so similar to Chat Noir's, but still look different.  Just the thought made her feel bad.  She decided to focus his attention on the person next to Rock Lynx.</p><p>The boy next to him was shorter and was wearing a turquoise snake-themed suit, some scales coming out of his mask and seemed to go down his neck until he reached the full bodysuit.</p><p>This would be Serpent's first appearance and Marinette was a little worried.  He didn't like having Marc involved in a battle so soon, but Gigantitan was someone they needed to quickly neutralize.  After Mother's Wrath, where August's mother had been made one of the villain's subjects, Gigantitan had become increasingly unstable.</p><p>They had to stop him quickly.</p><p>"Very well, this will be your first battle, Serpent, I want you to stay close to Ryuko and follow his instructions, however, if your instincts alert you to do something, prepare yourself to use Second Chance."</p><p>"I'm not going to disappoint you, Ladybug!"</p><p>"I know you won't," she said with an encouraging smile "Feu Fox and Empress Abeille are keeping Gigantitan busy, Rock Lynx, you come with me."</p><p>Saying that, Ryuko and Serpent retreated, while Ladybug and Rock Lynx leaped to where Gigantitan was being cornered by a cloud of bees.</p><p>" It seems that our empress is angry."  Rock Lynx said in a calm voice "Any idea why?"<br/>"Hawkmoth interrupted her "beauty sleep"."</p><p>"That explains it, after all, she's a little vain."</p><p>"Only a little?"</p><p>They both smiled, Marinette knew that Chloe wouldn't harm August and that she was only clouding her vision to give Feu Fox time to finish his illusions.</p><p>That was a new peculiarity that Miraculous users had discovered.  Being related to their miraculous, this gave them a certain affinity with the animal they represented.  The one who had mastered that skill was Chloe.</p><p>"Well Lynx, to work."</p><p>*******************************************<br/>Back at the shelter.</p><p>Lois was worried, slightly scared, and very angry.</p><p>The situation with these "Akumas" was already complicated, but seeing that the heroes of Paris could not be much older than John, was raising her frustration.</p><p>He knew that his son was already doing missions with other boys his age, she did not like it at all, but she accepted it.  But it was also a fact that John hadn't started alone, Clark had been with him and helped him understand his powers.  If what Nadja had told her was true, then these boys had not had a mentor by their side to help them.</p><p>She did not like that.</p><p>On the other hand, it seemed like they were well organized.  Ladybug, the apparent leader of the team, guided the other heroes efficiently.  She was focused on watching the battle when she heard the voice of the girl who had guided her and Manon to the shelter.</p><p>"You should calm down a bit," the girl said in a somewhat monotonous voice before Lois answered her, she added, "Hawkmoth can akumatize anyone with negative emotion, fury,  justified, included.</p><p>Lois tensed at the thought of having that lunatic in her head.  She couldn't allow it.  She took a deep breath and tried to relax.  It was not easy.</p><p>Lois turned to the girl and began to analyze her,  she was around 12 years old, wearing denim shorts, a pair of black stockings that reached above the knees, a tank top and on top of it a jacket with green details including an embroidered cat paw on the left side.  He had short straight black hair and wore a cap, also black, but with a picture of a cat on it.</p><p>The look was a little weird, it wasn't gothic, but it had a lot of black</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>" You're welcome, by the way, my name is Sophie, can I ask for yours?"</p><p>"Lois" she answered watching the girl texting on her phone without taking her eyes off her "What are you doing?"</p><p>"I'm checking if my parents and friends are in the shelters."</p><p>"I see" Lois turned her attention to the screen and saw appear one of the heroes who seemed to have a cat theme, his colors were black and green. " Is it for him?"</p><p>The question left her lips before she could stop herself, the girl, Sophie, turned her gray pair of eyes on her in confusion.  Then she seemed to understand and smiled at her.</p><p>"Not exactly," she said still smiling " I'm a fan of Ladynoir."</p><p>"Ladynoir?"</p><p>" Yup, Rock Lynx is cool and everything, but Ladynoir was the one who saved me when I was akumatized."</p><p>"Sorry," Lois said, looking guilty, Nadja had told her that akumatization could be traumatic.</p><p>"Don't worry" Sophie replied kindly "it wasn't nice, I still have nightmares, but I'm fine."</p><p>"Don't be offended, but I don't think having nightmares counts as being fine"</p><p>Sophie giggled, then answered him.</p><p>" Generally not.  But after being akumatized Ladynoir told me to go to the Tom &amp; Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie and ask for Marinette, this is how I know Nadja and Manon.  "She explained, "Marinette is awesome, she listened to me and said something that helps me every day."</p><p>The smile on Sophie's face had grown softer and she seemed to be remembering something good.</p><p>Before Lois could ask Sophie more about it, they both felt a sense of deja vu.</p><p>"What was that?" Lois asked puzzled.</p><p>"Second Chance," Sophie said biting her lower lip "something bad happened."</p><p>****************************************<br/>Back in the battle zone ...</p><p>Marc was shaking, he had managed to summon Second Chance, but he had been late and had seen something he shouldn't.</p><p>When he and Ryuko had gone to take some civilians out of an alley to guide them to the nearest shelter, he felt goosebumps.  Ryuko noticed it.</p><p>"Activate Second Chance."</p><p>"Now?"</p><p>"Now."</p><p>In hindsight, he was glad that Ryuko was with him and gave him clear instructions.</p><p>Because afterward, everything had gone downhill.</p><p>Feu Fox had created a candy store in a wasteland, the illusion was so good that it even smelled of sugar.  Marc wasn't surprised, after all, many of Nathaniel's drawings seemed to have a life of their own.</p><p>While Feu Fox stood on a pole to maintain the illusion, Empress Abeille used her bees to disguise Feu Fox and prepared her attack, Venom, to neutralize the little giant.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ladybug and Rock Lynx were preparing to attack.</p><p>The plan was good, and in this way, it was avoided to hurt the boy who had been akumatized.</p><p>The problem was that at the moment when Empress Abeille was about to "sting" Gigantitan, a sound distracted the boy from the illusion of Feu Fox.</p><p>A dog was trying to hide and had thrown some trash cans.</p><p>When the akumatized boy had turned, one of his hands had knocked down the lamppost where Feu Fox was, causing him to lose his balance and fall.  Seeing that, Empress Abeille came out of hiding and flew to catch Feu Fox.</p><p>At that moment, the butterfly mask appeared on the infant's face.</p><p>Hawkmoth, who saw from afar the heroes' attempts to keep the boy safe, decided to point to what had caused his akumatization.</p><p>"Gigantitan, both Feu Fox and Empress Abeille, try to make you look like a fool!"</p><p>"I AM NOT A FOOL!"</p><p>"Prove it!" the villain ordered maliciously  "finish them and take away their miraculous!  Then go for the Miraculous of Ladybug and Rock Lynx!"</p><p>Gigantitan turned to where Empress Abeille was, who was carrying Feu Fox in the bridal style.</p><p>Seeing that both were their targets, Ladybug and Rock Lynx launched into the attack.</p><p>Ladybug used her yo-yo to immobilize his arm and Rock Lynx jumped up to be at Gigantitan's chest height and used his staff to block her other arm.</p><p>This gave Empress Abeille time to fly into one of the adjoining buildings, giving her time to verify that Feu Fox had sprained his ankle.  They had to finish this ASAP.</p><p>At that moment, Gigantitan yelled loudly and yanked Ladybug against the building next to the vacant lot, before Ladybug had time to steady herself. Gigantitan took her in one of his hands and started squeezing her.  Rock Lynx concentrated his efforts on freeing her, but the moment he was able to pull her out of the giant's fist, they were both thrown to the ground.</p><p>Gigantitan was about to step on them when a gust of wind took them off the road.</p><p>Ryuko had used the Wind Dragon, to get them out of the way.</p><p>Marc had let out a sigh of relief, but at that moment Gigantitan had turned to the building where Feu Fox and Empress Abeille were.</p><p>Seeing the danger, Empress Abeille reloaded Feu Fox away from danger.</p><p>However, when it seemed that Gigantitan was going to attack Ladybug, who had stood in front of the giant to get his attention, he had changed his course by trapping Empress Abeille in one of his fists.  When she saw that she was about to be caught, she had thrown Feu Fox towards the canopy of a nearby flower shop, but when she tried to fly away from the giant's grasp, it was too late.</p><p>Empress Abeille had been caught.</p><p>Marc thought that the situation could not get worse, when in fact, the situation got worse.</p><p>Gigantitan grabbed the wings of Empress Abeille, who had not had time to retract them, and yanked them off.</p><p>Chloe's scream chilled everyone.</p><p>Marc was scared, no, he was terrified.</p><p>Since starting to train with the miraculous team, Chloe had always shown great confidence, as well as striving to make him feel included.</p><p>The same Chloe who always smiled next to Nathaniel an himself, at that moment, was screaming in pain.</p><p>The same Chloe, proud and a little vain, was pale with pain.</p><p>The same Chloe who had whipped away, verbally speaking, to those who mocked his relationship with Nathaniel was about to pass out from the pain.</p><p>And Marc was petrified, not knowing what to do.</p><p>Meanwhile, the aforementioned heroine was thinking only of one thing.</p><p>"Damn, this hurts!"</p><p>Empress Abeille was about to pass out from the pain and the worst thing is that she didn't even know why, her wings were part of her suit, it shouldn't hurt so much, but it hurt.</p><p>"Focus, Chloe"  she mentally ordered herself.</p><p>It didn't take long for her to locate Marc with her eyes and she knew that the boy was terrified. She had to do something.</p><p>Relying on her luck and the fact that Kagami had been training Marc's instincts, they had also decided that Ryuko would be by his side to help him.</p><p>She had to trust that Marc had already activated Second Chance.</p><p>She saw Ryuko fly next to Marc and try to make him react.</p><p>She bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain and directed her gaze at Marc, she felt that her gaze was clouding, when she knew that Marc was seeing her, she moved her lips and sent him a mute:</p><p>" I trust you."</p><p>Seeing how Marc's gaze, no, Serpent, lit up, Empress Abeille knew that everything would be fine.  That was his last thought before she lost consciousness.</p><p>Serpent was scared to see Chloe's eyes closing, but the message had come loud and clear, she trusted him, he couldn't disappoint her.</p><p>Then, Ryuko's voice reached her ears:</p><p>"COME BACK NOW!"</p><p>He refocused his attention on the heroin in front of him and nodded.</p><p>The next second, he was back in the same alley where he and Ryuko had evacuated the civilians.</p><p>He took Ryuko by the arm and told him everything.</p><p>Marc couldn't stop the torrent of words coming out of his mouth, when he got to the part where Empress Abeille's wings were ripped off, his voice was trembling but he managed to say everything.</p><p>Then Ryuko did something he didn't expect, she hugged him.</p><p>"Good job" she complimented "I know it was difficult for you, thanks."</p><p>"The plan is good" Marc said, still surprised at the heroine's show of affection "I think we only need the Lucky Charm and get the dog out of the alley before it distracts Gigantitan" before continuing he bit his lip and added doubtful  "Can you tell them you?  I don't think I can do it."</p><p>"Understood, don't worry.  We will finish quickly."</p><p>And with that, the heroine returned to using the Wind Dragon to fly alongside Ladybug and Rock Lynx and inform them of the situation.</p><p>Marc knew the moment Ryuko told them how the plan had been ruined earlier, thanks to the way Ladybug's face changed.  He watched as the heroine took a deep breath and her gaze filled with determination.</p><p>Ladybug's mind began to race at a thousand an hour, the plan they had before, although it was good, she couldn't ot use it anymore, it would be risky.</p><p>"OK, it's time for a little luck Lucky Charm!" She said invoking her power.</p><p>A mirror appeared in front of her.</p><p>Ladybug began to analyze the possibilities until she found the solution.</p><p>"Rock Lynx, I need you to take this mirror to the roof of that building" she instructed as he opened her yo-yo to communicate with Empress Abeille and Feu Fox "place it right on that corner" she said pointing to the place "when I give you the signal, I need you to move it a bit."</p><p>"What happen Ladybug?" Empress Abeille asked over the communicator.</p><p>"Change of plans" reported the heroine "Second Chance has already been used."</p><p>"Understood" Feu Fox said a little worried about Marc.</p><p>Within minutes, the new plan was underway.</p><p>Instead of a candy store, Feu Fox created an ice cream truck that distracted the infant.  He made the ice cream truck go around the block, giving Ryuko time to get the but out of the alley.  Meanwhile, Ladybug ran alongside Feu Fox to protect him if necessary.</p><p>Just as he was passing the wasteland, Ladybug gave the signal and Rock Lynx quickly moved the boy's dazzled mirror, stumbled, and was about to land on the wasteland but his fall was muffled by Rock Lynx's extended staff.</p><p>While the little giant was still stunned by the fall, Empress Abeille stood on his chest and attacked.</p><p>"Venom!"</p><p>The boy froze, giving Ryuko time to take the little boy's bracelet and throw it to where Ladybug was.</p><p>She took the bracelet and broke it, then rushed to purify the Akuma and use the miraculous cure.</p><p>The battle was over.</p><p>Ladybug sighed in relief, Gigantitan, Sandboy, and especially Puppeteer were the villains she least liked to face.</p><p>The mere thought that these children were not allowed to feel made her angry.  More reason to contact Batman, this had to end ASAP.</p><p>Another thing that was worrying her was Marc. From what Ryuko had told them, the original plan had gone horribly wrong and Chloe had been hurt.</p><p>Poor Marc was going to need help with that.</p><p>If the trauma was too strong for him, she was going to have to get him out of the team when he had just started.</p><p>He turned to where August was and felt her heart breaking.  The little boy was devastated.</p><p>Marinette knew that the little boy had grown up trying to control his emotions so as not to be akumatized, but he was only five years old, it was bad for his mental health to have to be bottling his feelings in order not to be akumatized.</p><p>Hawkmoth was undoubtedly a criminal.</p><p>A criminal who was to be arrested.</p><p>He carried the infant and hugged him.</p><p>"It's over, August."</p><p>"Thank you for helping me Ladybug" said the little one in a tearful voice "I swear that I didn't wanna... is that my classmates ... and I was scared ....</p><p>" Hush now, little one, it's over" she said while petting his back.</p><p>She had to speak to his team and didn't have much time, but victims of akumatization had priority.</p><p>"Hey August, look at this" said Feu Fox, drawing the child's attention and showing him a blank notebook "if you want, I will draw you a picture and you will color it later, tell me what you want."</p><p>The little boy seemed excited at the idea and asked Ladybug to put him down to run alongside Feu Fox.</p><p>"I want to paint Rock Lynx and Feu Fox and Ryuko and ...!"</p><p>"Do you want me to draw you to the whole team?"</p><p>The boy nodded happily and Marinette sighed in relief.  While Nathaniel distracted August, she could talk to her team at what time they had left.</p><p>"I can take August with his mother" Luka offered " I didn't use Cataclysm, so I have time."</p><p>"Thanks, Rock Lynx, Ryuko, Abeille and I have to go back before someone notices our absence" she said almost trembling at the image of an angry Tomoe "send Feu Fox with Serpent, don't let him be alone until we verify that he is alright"</p><p>" I have experience with the miraculous of the snake, I will talk to him."</p><p>" Thanks, I leave it in your hands."</p><p>With that, she made a sign and both Ryuko and Empress Abeille were at her side.</p><p>Feu Fox had finished his drawing and August was holding it happy.  Serpent was next to Feu Fox and August looked at him with eyes full of curiosity.</p><p>Everyone except Rock Lynx heard their miraculous sounds, alerting them that their time was running out.</p><p>Feu Fox and Serpent left first and Empress Abeille and Ladybug decided to give Kagami time to say goodbye to Luka.</p><p>That was when they heard how someone was approaching.</p><p>The two were on guard.</p><p>"Ladybug, Did you replace Viperion?  Did you have some love argument? " Alya questioned, while Chloe rolled her eyes in annoyance and Marinette sighed.</p><p>"Ladybug, Who is the new hero?  Is he a permanent one?" Nadja asked approaching the heroines.</p><p>"His name is Serpent, unfortunately, I don't have time to answer questions now, Bug out."</p><p>Before Nadja or Alya could react, the three heroines were gone.</p><p>Seeing that there was no hero left to interview, Alya left, grumbling on the way."</p><p>Nadja, on the other hand, stayed in place for a few minutes, after which Rock Lynx emerged from an alley with August in her arms.</p><p>"Good afternoon, Madame Chamack"</p><p>"Good afternoon Rock Lynx, I was wondering if you could give me more information."</p><p>" Sure, but it will have to be later, I have to take this little boy with his mother."</p><p>" I understand, do you think it could be tomorrow?, a friend of mine needs to meet you."</p><p>Rock Lynx stopped to consider it, Ladybug had always recommended discretion, on the other hand, Nadja was a trustworthy civilian and had said "need" instead of "want".</p><p>"Sounds good to me, but it will have to be at night, after patrolling."</p><p>"Perfect, thank you very much."</p><p>With this, Rock Lynx left with the little one in his arms.</p><p>Nadja sighed with relief, it was not difficult to know that Rock Lynx and Viperion were the same person if you took into account that the battles where Viperion participated were where Rock Lynx did not, also their complexion was similar.  She had decided not to speculate about it in her reports to protect the boy.</p><p>But it relieved her to know that he had accepted.  According to what Ladybug had mentioned to him earlier, Viperion's miraculous was the one of wisdom, therefore, he had chosen someone mature to use it.</p><p>He hoped that if Lois spoke to him, she would have a better insight of how dire the situation was in Paris.</p><p>They needed help, this could not</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ok, new chapter.</p><p>This chapter was kinda hard to write, but it was necessary on the story, I wanted to show that the menace is real, but I didn't want to use gore, this is the most gore that I can do and it doesn't have blood at all.</p><p>Sophie is one of the OC that I created for this universe, not the only one, but one of my favorite. More details later</p><p>So this is how I write battles, any comments or recommendations are welcomed.</p><p>I think that's all.</p><p>Farewell fellows.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Carrying the world on the shoulders.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The three girls landed in the hotel room, checked the time, it was almost 4 in the morning, and sighing at the same time they threw themselves on the bed.</p><p>"Pollen, Buzz off"</p><p>"Longg, Open sky"</p><p>"Tikki, Kaalki, divide.  Tikki Spots off."</p><p>The trio of teenagers sighed as their kwamis searched for food to recharge.</p><p>"How long do we have left to sleep"  Asked Marinette taking off her shoes.</p><p>"About three hours," Kagami replied, to which the others complained.</p><p>"Who gets up at seven in the morning?"  Chloe complained muttering.</p><p>"My mother."</p><p>The three teenagers smiled at the young swordsman's reply.</p><p>They lay in bed for a few minutes, enjoying the silence of the night, until Chloe spoke.</p><p>"Did I die?"</p><p>Marinette and Kagami tensed at the question.</p><p>" What do you mean?"</p><p>"I'm not stupid, Kagami." Chloe said " I saw Marc's face, something happened to me before Second Chance was used. Am I wrong?"</p><p>Both girls held their gaze before turning to see Marinette.</p><p>The aforementioned thought for a few seconds.  On one hand, Chloe hadn't died, but she had been seriously injured, she didn't know if that information would do Chloe any good;  on the other hand, since the beginning, Marinette had established a  total honesty policy in her team.  Hiding things was something she didn't enjoy, especially with his team.<br/>Also, Marinette knew that such secrets could cause tensions and misunderstandings that returned at the least opportune moment.</p><p>"Yes something happened, you didn't die, but you were hurt."</p><p>She then proceeded to explain what Marc had told them.  At the end of the story Chloe was silent for a few seconds before saying:</p><p>"Well, on the bright side, now we know that it hurts if our wings are torn off" At the amazed looks of her friends, Chloe snorted "What?  Did you expect me to cry on the corner for something that didn't even happen?  Don't be ridiculous, my makeup would get smeared.</p><p>"Wait a minute, " Kagami said, "Did you put on makeup before we left?"</p><p>"Better dead than plain, darling."</p><p>"When did you have time to do your makeup?"</p><p>"When I told you that I needed to go to the bathroom."</p><p>"Chloe, you were there only for three minutes."</p><p>"Your point is ..."</p><p>Marinette and Kagami chuckled at Chloe's antics.  Marinette knew that this was the way Chloe dealt with such situations, fear and anguish could lead to akumatization.</p><p>Marinette wished in those moments for everything to just finish, she longed to be with her friends and cry and get angry about the problems of adolescence without having to worry about a villain taking advantage of her emotions.  She just wanted to stop having to carry the world on her shoulders.</p><p>The three of them had had to move on after their first love disappointment without a chance to cry.</p><p>The worst thing is that the worst traumas they carried came from their secret identities, so they could not talk to anyone about it.</p><p>Each of his team members had found a way to keep memories of their less glorious moments as heroes at bay.</p><p>In Chloe's case, cunning and pride were an almost perfect mask.</p><p>Almost.</p><p>"Do you think I can visit him later?"</p><p>It was not necessary to ask who she was referring to.  Chloe looked extremely concerned about the newest member of the team.  And Marinette felt guilty.  Marc still had trouble controlling Longg's power and Tikki had stood firm by telling her that she couldn't be transforming into Ladynoir so often without breaking her body balance which would affect her team performance.  Marinette was a creative soul, the miraculous of destruction always messed up her internal balance and her partner's balance as well.  Using it occasionally was not harmful, but using it constantly affected her negatively.<br/>That is why she had decided that Marc would be Serpent and that Luka would be Rock Lynx, to give her internal energy time to balance.</p><p>It had been a difficult decision, but Marc could have gotten hurt using the dragon's miraculous.  Kagami had had a training regimen from a very young age, her discipline had been essential to be able to use Ryuko's power to the maximum, honestly, Marinette did not believe that Marc was ready yet to transform into Conte Dragon without losing control.</p><p>That didn't stop her from feeling guilty.</p><p>"I think it's a good idea," Kagami said suddenly "you should visit him and let him see that you're okay.  That helps."</p><p>Marinette nodded her head as she remembered the reason why Kagami knew that was important.</p><p>It had happened when Kagami and Luka had just started dating and shortly after Marinette decided that her team members should know their identities.</p><p>A particularly violent Akuma had attacked and the only reason they had escaped unscathed was thanks to Luka's Second Chance.</p><p>The problem was that Luka had seen that Akuma hurt Kagami badly, to such an extent that before the Second Chance was cast, the young Japanese woman had been on the edge of death.</p><p>When the battle was over, Luka had refused to leave Kagami's side, he had hugged her tightly and didn't let go of her until he realized that everything was fine.</p><p>Surely a sight of Chloe could help Marc realize that what could go wrong was avoided.</p><p>But that didn't alleviate the guilt Marinette felt.</p><p>"Mari-hime, you are a great leader," Kagami said upon seeing the expression on her friend's face, "I know you thought twice before letting Marc join the team. It was not your fault."</p><p>The last sentence uttered by the young swordsman almost made Marinette cry.</p><p>Before she could say anything, Chloe had pulled her to her side of the bed while hugging her.</p><p>" Don't be ridiculous Maribug" she said as Kagami joined the hug "of course, it's not your fault."</p><p>Marinette felt protected being hugged by her two best friends.  As if that wasn't enough, the four kwamis present cuddled<br/>into her neck and the little kitten that Marinette had rescued earlier, cuddled into the girl's stomach.</p><p>The young guardian let the warmth of her friends, the kwamis and the kitten, relax her, and decided to sleep for the couple of hours they had available until Tomoe came into the room to wake them up.</p><p>A few hours later.</p><p>The morning in Gotham City had arrived with a slight fog, which was a bit strange, generally, the fog was thicker, but hey, Damian wasn't going to complain.</p><p>The young Wayne was lying on his bed with Alfred the cat on his lap.</p><p>He kept going through the events of yesterday in his head.</p><p>The story Marinette had related was honestly wacky, but not the craziest he'd ever heard.</p><p>Furthermore, Marinette's eyes showed a feeling of sadness and helplessness that simply couldn't be faked.</p><p>Well, better leave the investigation of the Paris situation to Drake and Gordon.</p><p>He wanted to investigate something else, or rather someone else.</p><p>He founded Marinette fascinating, but Damian's cynical side told her that maybe the girl was trying to make a good impression on Robin.  It wasn't a bad thing, it was even flattering, but Damian couldn't help but wonder if Marinette would have the same kind of smart conversation if she was talking to Damian instead of Robin.</p><p>Honestly, he wanted to talk to her again.</p><p>He just hoped his nosy family didn't find out or they were going to bother him until the end of time.</p><p>He decided to go down for breakfast, maybe something would occur to him after having a full stomach.</p><p>He got up and went to the dining room, as expected, Alfred Pennyworth was already present, with Damian's breakfast ready.  How he did that was something he would never understand.</p><p>"Good morning Alfred."</p><p>* Good morning, master Damian.  Breakfast is ready."</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>Damien started eating breakfast, still pondering over Marinette's matter.  He really wanted to see Marinette again, he was so immersed in that, that he almost jumped when Drake entered the kitchen pushing Gordon's wheelchair at full speed.</p><p>"You are awake!  That is good!" Drake said and from his appearance, it seemed that he had not slept at all.</p><p>"Damien, Could you gather everyone together?" Gordon asked, who also seemed not to have slept the night before, but it was obvious that his coffee intake had been less than Drake's.</p><p>"Did you find anything?" The look Drake and Gordon shared was enough for Damien to realize two things, one, they had found something and two, it was something bad.</p><p>"If you plan to gather the whole family in the cave this early, you will have to wait for everyone to eat breakfast," Alfred warned.</p><p>"But Alfred ...!"</p><p>"No buts, master Tim"</p><p>"I swear it's urgent, Alfred!"</p><p>"Well, I am found more urgent that everyone eats, Miss Barbara."</p><p>Damien was about to open his mouth to protest when Alfred gave him a look that seemed to say "don't you dare, young man", and he didn't dare.</p><p>Soon after, the whole family had gathered in the dining room, some still in pajamas and Jason in boxers until everyone yelled at him to go change.</p><p>After having breakfast under the watchful eye of Alfred they all changed, Jason protesting and went down to the cave.</p><p>Tim and Barbara stood in front of the batcomputer, while the rest of the family stood nearby.</p><p>Tim began to speak.</p><p>"All right, after Damian gave us that surprising report last night ..."</p><p>"Very surprising," Jason said in a mocking tone "Demon spawn and a girl, I still think I'm in the twilight zone."</p><p>"As I was saying* said Tim annoyed  "Damian informed us of a worrying situation in Paris ..."</p><p>"That affects the cupcake girl," Stephanie added as Dick smiled.</p><p>"Yes, it affects the girl who sent us those cupcakes, the point is ..."</p><p>"Demon spawn, Did you dreamed of her?" Asked Jason mockingly while Stephanie and Dick tried not to laugh, waiting for Damien to explode, and he did, but not only him.</p><p>"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?!"</p><p>Everyone fell silent when they saw the reaction of Tim, Barbara, and Damian n.</p><p>They expected Damian's reaction, they just wanted to annoy him a bit, but Tim and Barbara being so serious made them see that the situation was not appropriate for joking.</p><p>"This is serious!” exclaimed Barbara " What Damien told us is only the tip of the iceberg, and if the situation continues to worsen, it will soon not only be a threat to Paris, but it will become a global threat."</p><p>Silence flooded the cave.  The seriousness in Barbara's words left them stunned, Bruce was the first to break the silence.</p><p>"Explain"</p><p>Both Tim and Barbara took a breath before starting to speak.</p><p>"Damian's report from last night is correct, four years ago Paris received its first attack" explained Barbara while the baticomputer showed a photo of a 13-year-old boy who was quite stout and next to him a stone monster "he was his first victim, Iván Bruel, the reason why he was akumatized was because of mockery towards his person and shyness to confess his love towards the girl that he liked."</p><p>"Seriously?" Duke said with a frown "That's unfair!  When Damian said negative emotions I imagined jealousy or something well ... bad."</p><p>"Also, if this Hawkmoth is using teenagers to do his dirty work, we have to stop him," Stephanie said angrily.</p><p>"Yeah, about that..."</p><p>They all turned to see Tim when they heard him, Barbara lowered her gaze as if trying to contain her anger while another 3 files appeared on the computer.</p><p>Those present fell silent when they saw the pictures on the computer.  They were pictures of a 7-year-old boy with blue-black hair and eyes, a 5-year-old girl with bright honey-colored eyes and hair tied in pigtails, and worst of all, a baby.  They were all silent for a few minutes, trying to absorb what they saw until Jason's scream unleashed chaos.</p><p>"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME ?!  THEY ARE CHILDREN!  AND THAT'S A BABY!"</p><p>"Bruce!  How do we let that go ?!" Dick asked angrily, that girl couldn't be older than his little Mari.</p><p>"What the hell is wrong with that guy !?" Stephanie demanded furiously.</p><p>Bruce himself was disturbed, he had already seen villains tormenting young children, he lived in Gotham City after all, but that did not prevent him from feeling disgusted to see someone take advantage of a small child.</p><p>As the chaos unfolded in the Batcave, Damian and Cassandra looked at the files Barbara and Tim had provided.  Suddenly Damien spoke.</p><p>"Last night you said that you couldn't find anything" he pointed out, drawing the attention of those present "What happened?"</p><p>"Good question, Damian," said Barbara "that's true, finding information about these attacks was almost impossible, any report seemed to be protected or was not available.  We spent the whole night trying to evade the firewall that honestly seemed ... well, almost magical."</p><p>"I wouldn't dismiss that theory " Tim pointed out "it didn't even let me remotely access Wayne Enterprise computers in Paris.  I had to hack into our computers and it was extremely difficult."</p><p>Everyone present was shocked at the new piece of information.  Wayne Enterprise computers were practically impenetrable if that had been the option that Tim had chosen, that meant that getting the information had been difficult, no wonder they had not slept.</p><p>"The files," said Cassandra "are quite complete."</p><p>When they looked at the computer, they noticed that Cassandra's words were true, the files were well organized, mentioning the name, age, alter ego, date of akumatization, and even possible causes.</p><p>"She's right," said Bruce "Did you do it all last night?"</p><p>Tim turned to look at Barbara, who nodded at the inaudible question.</p><p>"I have a question for Damian," Tim said as the youngest of the family tensed "The person who told you about this problem in Paris, is it her?"</p><p>On the screen then appeared a photo of a girl with blue-black hair tied on pigtails, blue eyes, and a charming smile."</p><p>"Yes, it's her, " the young Wayne said.</p><p>"I thought so," Tim said as he pulled out another file. "Her name is Marinette and we pulled the files from her personal computer.</p><p>Damian tensed, Marinette had a lot of information, but he didn't think she was involved, but if he told his family what he thought, it would be counterproductive.  He himself recognized that he had a certain attraction towards the girl, so his opinion would not be objective.  However, Marinette deserved the benefit of the doubt, he did not think she was involved with that villain, so he set out to reply when someone else beat him to it.</p><p>"I hope you're not implying that this girl is working with this Hawkmoth," Kate's voice was heard who was just entering, seeing everyone's gaze she clarified, "Alfred told me they were down here, I wanted to see if you had discovered something."</p><p>"I don't think she's working with him either," Cassandra said, solidifying her position as Damian's favorite sibling. "Her files focus on avoiding akumatizations."</p><p>Everyone turned to look at the files and noticed that, indeed, there was a section for each akumatized person about measures to take to prevent an akumatization and damage control after one.</p><p>"I never said I was suspicious of her," said Tim, who then added nervously, "Yes, I was a little suspicious at first, but I investigated her and she's clean."</p><p>"Then why did you mention her?"  Damian asked irritated, fantastic, now Drake knew more about her than him.</p><p>"Because we think it is extremely important to discuss this with her as soon as possible," Barbara said, noting Damian's irritation. "We have a theory that she is related to the heroes of Paris, at least as a civil contact."</p><p>Everyone paid attention to this.</p><p>"Correct me if I'm wrong," said Dick with his hand raised as if he were at school. "That girl is Damian's age."</p><p>"In fact, she's a few months younger than demon spawn," Tim pointed out.</p><p>"OK, she's a few months younger, and she's  involved in this mess?"</p><p>"Dick, I think it's a bit hypocritical of you to point it out, sir. "First and original Robin.""</p><p>"Number one, Barbara, I was drunk, don't judge me," said the first Robin offended. "And secondly, I just think she's a little young."</p><p>At his words, both Barbara and Tim turned to see again.</p><p>"OK, I think it's time to move on to the next point," said Barbara opening a new file while Dick pouted. "I think there are at least three reasons why Paris needs help."  I think number one will answer your questions, Dick.</p><p>When he said that, photographs of the heroes of Paris appeared on the screen, who, to everyone's confusion and concern, were teenagers.</p><p>"Please tell me their mentor is missing there," Jason said trying to contain his anger, "or someone trained them."</p><p>"I'm afraid that doesn't seem to be the case," Barbara said in a serious voice "not if their leader's first battle is a reference."</p><p>Saying that a video of Ladybug's first appearance began to play, showing a Ladybug of about 13 years old, clearly confused, brave, but inexperienced.  And a Chat Noir the same age as the girl, enthusiastic but immature.</p><p>The silence was taking over the Batcave again.</p><p>"Are you fucking kidding me?" said a clearly angry Jason "They are children!  Ok, we started early too, but even Bruce isn't such an idiot to send a couple of kids into battle unsupervised!"</p><p>"Thanks for the trust," Bruce murmured sarcastically.</p><p>"Can we go back to the fact that a couple of children were the only defense of Paris?" asked Dick "How bad are the villains they faced?"</p><p>" Didn't you see that stone monster?" Duke said worried "that looks pretty bad."</p><p>"The threat level varies" explained Barbara "some are  light threats that are resolved in 15 minutes, but there are others ..."</p><p>*Some of the "akumatized" have powers that classify as a world threat.  Do you remember that incident in which the earth had some inexplicable movement?" Tim said as he opened another file in which a girl with two ponytails and an umbrella was shown, all her wardrobe was purple, except for a pair of white boots "This girl right here is Stormy Weather, in her first akumatization she controlled the weather, in its second akumatization on the other hand, was capable of controlling the elements of nature.  She tried, and almost succeeded, to use a volcano to pull the earth away from the sun and create a second ice age."</p><p>"So basically, a group of teenagers carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, without any kind of help."</p><p>Ok, that scaled things to a new level.</p><p>"Just out of curiosity, what level of threat are the children you showed earlier?" Stephanie asked, almost scared of the possible answer.  Tim answered him.</p><p>"Sandboy's power is to bring into physical existence anyone's worst nightmare, which is honestly terrifying.  I would say that his threat depends on how far he goes. Can you imagine if the boy came to Gotham?  We would probably have to deal with an army of Jokers."</p><p>Everyone present got serious thinking about that.</p><p>"The girl, Puppeteer, uses her wand to cast celestial magic at a villain's doll.  It rises into the air and brings a person to life again.  The person on whom the doll is based becomes a human puppet, which she controls using the doll.  If the Puppeteer wants, she can speak through the doll and the person will say what she says.  Regarding the actions of the puppets, either she controls them by doing them, or she orders them what to do and they obey her.  He used that in his first akumatization, but it is believed that he can use his powers in the same way if he uses a superhero's doll, she can also fly and use telepathy to keep the dolls in the air while using them."</p><p>"That's a lot of power for a little girl," Kate said in surprise.</p><p>"What about the baby?"  Asked Bruce.</p><p>"Gigantitan is basically a giant that maintains the mind of a toddler, it is not malicious, but it can be as violent as any child in the middle of a tantrum, only with increased effects because it is a giant baby."</p><p>That might not sound so scary to just anyone, but not to Helena Wayne's family, that girl was scary when she had her tantrums, usually associated with waking her up from her nap.</p><p>Everyone present trembled as they imagined Princess Wayne in one of her terrible tantrums.</p><p>"To summarize," said Tim trying to get the attention of those present "The heroes of Paris are basically teenagers who fight without apparent support from a mentor."</p><p>" I'm surprised they haven't been seriously injured to date!" Stephanie said, clearly angry.</p><p>"Which brings us to the next point," Barbara said, putting everyone on alert.  "He is Chat Noir, Ladybug's first partner and until relatively recently, her right-hand man."</p><p>"Until relatively recently?  What happened? " Asked Duke.</p><p>"We are not sure," Tim said, seeing the looks of those present he continued "there was a villain who was particularly difficult, that was the last time he appeared."</p><p>"Ladybug clarified in an interview that Chat Noir was alive but could not be a superhero again," Barbara added.</p><p>"After that Ladybug selected a permanent team that is composed of Feu Fox, Viperion, Ryuko, Empress Abeille, and Ladybug herself.  It seems that for some reason Ladybug is sometimes Ladynoir, Viperion is sometimes Rock Lynx and Ryuko is sometimes Tentochu."</p><p>"They basically lost a member of their team, and it seems like it's crucial that there is always a Ladybug and a black cat, which is why they've been having trouble balancing."</p><p>"What is the third point?" Cassandra asked, drawing the attention of those present.</p><p>"Yeah, right, it seems that the akumatizations started to get worse after a certain villain." said, Tim</p><p>"What do you mean by getting worse?" Asked Bruce "Has the number of victims increased?"</p><p>"No, it seems that there is an attack per week on average" explained Barbara " the problem is that the attacks became crueler."</p><p>"It seems that before, the akumatization victims did not remember their actions during the akumatization, they remembered being angry or sad before being akumatized, but nothing else," Tim said while sighing "there was an Akuma who changed the game, all of those who were akumatized later, have memories of the attack and therefore traumas associated with the akumatization.</p><p>Everyone began to reflect on what Tim said, having memories of how someone got into your head, taking advantage of your weakness, and forcing you to do horrible things ... that must be a nightmare.</p><p>"Jason put your weapons down."</p><p>"Screw you, Bruce!  That guy is abusing an entire city!  We have to stop it now!"</p><p>"And you think that the best thing you can do is go, as angry as you are, to the city of the man who takes advantage of negative emotions?  Yes, you are an idiot, Todd."</p><p>"Stay out of it, demon spawn!"</p><p>"Do you think that the girl Damian met is their civil contact?" Cass asked again, today she had been inquisitive apparently.</p><p>"We are 80% sure that is the case" Tim answered.</p><p>"Let's talk to her."</p><p>" I agree with her," said Kate " after seeing those three girls defend themselves like this yesterday, it does not seem unreasonable that one of them is the civil contact of the heroes of Paris."</p><p>Everyone nodded, the best plan would be to get as much information as possible before proceeding.</p><p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng would receive a visit from Gotham's vigilantes that same night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ok, new chapter and it took me less than I thought, I still couldn't update weekly, but I'm making progress.</p><p>Anyway, I wanted to set a serious tone about the situation in Paris and I think it worked out for me.</p><p>I have a couple of questions for my readers.</p><p>By now the Daminette is subject to tropes.  There are two in particular I'd like to use, but I'm not sure.</p><p>1 Alfred as a former Duusu user</p><p>2 Jagged Stone as Bruce and Gothamita's childhood friend.</p><p>I would like you to leave your opinion on whether or not I should use those cliches.</p><p>I think that's all.</p><p>Thanks for reading and commenting.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Fickle luck</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Tim and Barbara's presentation ended, they had all come to the conclusion that they should speak with Marinette before deciding on the next step.  Everyone agreed that it was for the best for now.</p><p>After the meeting, they all got up, but Damian noticed that Grayson and Todd were left behind.</p><p>Damien suspected that they were going to talk about Marinette and found himself in a moral dilemma, on the one hand, he could stay and listen to the results of the investigation about Marinette, but submit to the ridicule of his brothers, or he could remain ignorant and keep his dignity intact.</p><p>Deciding better to investigate on his own, if he was lucky maybe he could find Marinette in the city, he left the Batcave without listening to his brother's conversation.</p><p>"Timmy!  What have you got from the girl?" asked Dick excitedly</p><p>"Did you see the face of the midget when you implied that she could be involved with that bastard?  If he could kill with a look, you would already be six feet underground!" Jason scoffed.</p><p>"I wasn't accusing her of anything!"</p><p>"The way you said it sounded a bit accusatory," Barbara pointed out with a smile.</p><p>"I swear it was not my intention!  I don't think there is any way that Marinette Dupain-Cheng  is involved with Hawkmoth!"</p><p>"You seem very confident," Jason pointed out.</p><p>"I am," Tim said sighing when he saw the look of his brothers "I investigated her, remember?"</p><p>"What did you find?"  Asked Dick.</p><p>"First of all, Marinette is the only student in her class who has never been akumatized, there was a boy named Adrien Agreste who had not been akumatized either, but recently he was akumatized.  She has been president of her class for 4 years, she is an aspiring designer who has already received praise from Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois herself, which is a great thing."</p><p>"The woman who humiliated Bruce's ex?  I don't blame her, that bitch was insufferable, but she was quite ruthless in criticizing her dress." Jason said with a smile.</p><p>"That same one, it seems that Marinette caught her attention at age 14, she's something like a fashion prodigy," Tim explained, being interrupted by Barbara.</p><p>"From what we saw it is not "something like a fashion prodigy", the girl is a fashion prodigy, she was in that designer show, the one we saw together, "Fashions Discovery", she worked as Erika Kurumi's assistant."</p><p>"I remember!  They were sabotaged by one of the models and had to remake the last two dresses!" said excited Dick.</p><p>"I think I fell asleep," Jason said, seeing Dick and Barbara's eyes, he added sulkily, "I don't speak French!  Don't  judge me!"</p><p>"Well, I can assure you it was amazing," Barbara said, then thought about it for a few seconds and added, "Maybe this ring a bell to you!"</p><p>Images of a certain rocker appeared on the computer.</p><p>"Jagged Stone!  Do you mean that girl has worked with Jagged Stone ?!"</p><p>"Yup," said Barbara with a smile, "I think it's pretty obvious that she's MDC, the one responsible for her Eiffel Tower glasses, as well as some album and poster covers and more recently some of her outfits."</p><p>*WOW!" The three boys said in unison.</p><p>"Yep, this girl is something."</p><p>"Not that this is not interesting, but why did you discard her as a possible suspect?" Jason asked "I'm not complaining!  It's just curiosity!"</p><p>"Besides the fact that there have already been Akumas who went after her, there is the fact that together with their friends Kagami and Chloe, they presented the plan for "La Maison des miracles" to the mayor's office, and they were the first volunteers. "Tim explained.  Then he added "La Maison des miracles" is kind of a community center created to help victims of akumatization, offers consultations with professional psychologists completely free, courses in different sports and art, also gives talks about how to avoid situations that lead to to an akumatization."</p><p>"Sounds great, for a city besieged by a terrorist taking advantage of negative emotions, that kind of place would be an oasis," Dick mentioned impressed.</p><p>"Yes, besides, Marinette and her friends also occasionally volunteer at the Neker Enfants Malades Hospital and at the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. Basically, she doesn't have the time to be cahoots with Hawkmoth, in any case, the hypothesis of her being a civilian assistant is much more likely"</p><p>Jason let out a whistle.</p><p>*I don't think demon spawn has a chance with her."</p><p>"I think he can get a chance with her"</p><p>*Dick, you can dream about it"</p><p>"Damian is a good boy."</p><p>"Only you believe that, "good boy" is not among the first 5 adjectives with which I would use to describe Damian" Barbara pointed out.</p><p>"You want to bet?" challenge Dick.</p><p>"If you want to lose your money, who am I to stop you?" Jason scoffed "I bet $ 50 that demon spawn scares her away."</p><p>"I'm with Jason," said Barbara "I'm sorry Dick, this girl doesn't look like someone who is easily impressed."</p><p>"I bet $ 100 that they at least become friends" everyone fell silent when they heard Tim "What? I wanna have faith in the kid"</p><p>"That's the spirit, Tim!" said Dick smiling and hugging the young detective "We brothers, have to support each other."</p><p>Tim decided not to mention that when he saw Damien's look, the way he was so upset when he implied that Marinette was involved, he decided to hack into Damian's communicator and listen to the recording of his conversation with the aforementioned girl the night before, they had chemistry, he didn't bet that they would become a couple because he didn't know if Damian would screw up, but they had chemistry, they really had it.</p><p>In the meantime...</p><p>Damian knew the meaning of friendship, he really did, and he knew that friends really tolerate each other, that they shouldn't think of ways to murder said friend, but by gods sake, if Jon didn't stop talking that moment, he would go all the way to his house and break his other arm.</p><p>"I can not believe it!  Damien found a girl attractive!"</p><p>Damian was a bit lost after Drake and Gordon's disclosure ended.  He wanted to get closer to Marinette, but he didn't know if he could do it like Damian Wayne, so he decided to ask his "friends" for help, so he had made a zoom meeting to talk to them.  Bad decision.</p><p>"I never said attractive, Kent, I said interesting and tolerable."</p><p>"Accept it Damián, in your dictionary, that's almost a compliment."</p><p>"Stay out of it, Collin.  I'm scolding Kent."</p><p>"What is her name?  Is she cute?  Did you tell her she's cute?  Did you kiss?  Was a French kiss?"</p><p>"NO!  What the hell is wrong with you Mizoguchi?"</p><p>"Guys, don't push him.  Damian has the right to find someone interesting without the need for sexual attraction between them."  Lucy pointed out, taking pity on Damian.</p><p>"Thank you, Quinzel."</p><p>"You're welcome" the young blonde smiled at him "but just out of curiosity. Do you have any idea how to approach her?  I mean like Damian, not like Robin."</p><p>"Not yet," Damian grumbled.</p><p>"Hey, I know why don't you go to her hotel and when you see her you pretend that you run into her and, and, and then you look for her elsewhere and you run into her again and again and then you say, "  We must find another way to meet "and then you take her to a cafe, and then they go to the beach at sunset and ....?"</p><p>"Enough, Mizoguchi, I already told you to stop watching those romantic comedies, they will deteriorate your brain."</p><p>"Not true" Mia complained, "they are very beautiful stories that don't hurt anyone."</p><p>"They hurt your brain, that's why you're so delusional," Damian replied.</p><p>"Lucy!  Damian is bugging me!" Mia complained, "Tell him that romantic comedies are fun!"</p><p>"Several romantic comedies are funny" Lucy answered, "But I honestly don't think they should be used as references."</p><p>"Traitor!" Mia complained.</p><p>"Don't get me wrong, I love "Legally Blonde" and "50 first dates", but I don't think they are a good example of how to start a relationship.  Romantic comedies put expectations for first encounters very high."</p><p>"I guess you're right," Mia said sulkily.</p><p>"And you Damian, wipe that smile off your face," Lucy said when she saw Damian's smug face "you can learn a thing or two from the movies."</p><p>Everyone present except Damian laughed at Damien's scolded face.</p><p>"Traitors," thought the boy.</p><p>"Anyway, if you have nothing useful to contribute, I will withdraw this conversation"</p><p>"Don't be offended Damian," Colin told him.</p><p>"Yes, whatever," he said as he began to close the meeting.</p><p>The other teenagers complained, but Damien sighed when his room was quiet again.</p><p>It amazed him how much he had changed in these years.  The 10-year-old Damian, the one who had come to the Wayne mansion years ago, would never have consulted with his friends how to approach a girl, indeed, the Damian of the past would not try to approach a girl and would not have friends either.</p><p>"I've changed a lot," Damien thought, but honestly it didn't bother him.  Yes, his "friends" could be irritating, but he valued them.</p><p>At that moment, he received a text from Lucy.</p><p>"Didn't you say that she had picked up a stray cat? You should try to go to the animal shelter, good luck" next to the message, he had sent her a GIF of a scene from "Friends", which said, "You got this".</p><p>Damien smiled.</p><p>Yep, it was good to have friends</p><p>****************************************</p><p>Meanwhile, elsewhere.</p><p>At the reception of one of the Wayne Foundation building, there were three teenagers thinking about how they could get away from Tomoe Tsurugi.</p><p>"OK, so Maribug pretends to be sick and then ..."</p><p>"Then mother will take her to the nearest hospital, where they will tell her that Mari-hime has excessive fatigue, which we already know, and will force Mari-hime to stay in the room for the rest of the trip."</p><p>"Girls."</p><p>"OK, so, we told him that Maribug and I forgot to send an assignment and they just informed us ..."</p><p>"She will not believe it, it was Mendeleiv who received your reports, she would not have signed the leaves of absence if your reports were not done it right the first time."</p><p>"Girls."</p><p>" OK, so, I pretend that I was stung by a bee and that I want to go back to the hotel."</p><p>"She's going to ask you where it bit you."</p><p>"Girls!"</p><p>"Then I really get stung."</p><p>"Chloe, that's silly."</p><p>" Girls!"</p><p>"Then give me an idea, you have rejected all my ideas."</p><p>"Because they are absurd ideas and my mother is blind, not stupid."</p><p>"GIRLS!"</p><p>"WHAT'S UP MARIBUG / MARI-HIME !?"</p><p>"I think I may have an idea so I can send Chloe to Paris and not arouse Tomoe's suspicions."</p><p>"Why didn't you say it before Maribug?"</p><p>"Right, we would have saved Chloe's stupid brainstorming."</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>Marinette sighed at her friends' nonsense.</p><p>Before she could explain her plan, Tomoe walked over to where the three girls were.</p><p>"Well let's go back to the hotel and I'll tell you what we'll do," Marinette muttered as Kagami and Chloe nodded.</p><p>When they got to their hotel room, Tomoe gathered them in the living room.</p><p>"Apparently, certain information about the tournament was not released until the participants physically registered here in Gotham City," Tomoe mentioned.</p><p>"What information?" Chloe asked confused.</p><p>"It is not allowed to bring friends to the exhibitions?" Marinette asked worried "Do we have to go back to Paris?"</p><p>" No, it's not that" Tomoe assured "I confirmed with the tournament managers your attendance, so no problem.  What I mean is that they left out certain details about after the tournament."</p><p>"Could you please explain, mother?"</p><p>"Well, first of all, after the tournament has ended, a Gala party will be held to which all participants and their companions are invited, in addition, the winner of the tournament and their companions will be invited to a private dinner with the  Wayne family."</p><p>The three girls were silent for a few minutes, until:</p><p>"We need new dresses!  - Chloe exclaimed excitedly.</p><p>"A gala, Mother?"  Kagami questioned incredulously.</p><p>"I need fabric!" Marinette said worriedly when she saw the gazes of the others fixed on her she added "If you want, of course, I would like to make the dresses for the four of us."</p><p>"That's very nice of you, Marinette," Tomoe told her, "but don't you think it will be too much work for you?"</p><p>"Not at all, in fact, I feel better designing.  If the gala is at the end of the tournament that means I have a month and a half to design and create the 4 dresses, honestly I have had it worse and I really want to do it."</p><p>Tomoe smiled upon hearing Marinette's tirade.  The girl sounded so excited that Tomoe decided to let her do whatever she wanted, she would have to call Sabine and inform her, maybe get the girl's account number to pay for the dresses.</p><p>"The other point I wanted to touch on, is that, for the next three days, Kagami, you will have to attend mandatory practices at the Wayne Foundation facilities, those practices can only be attended by you and me." Tomoe let the girls process it, she could hear a sigh of disappointment from the trio of teenagers, so she continue "Today's practice is optional, but I would like you to participate, however, if you do not want to, I will understand, we can start orning."</p><p>Kagami gasped, her mother was giving her the option of not practicing that day, for a moment she thought that maybe she was still asleep until she saw Chloe taking a photo of her with a mocking smile.</p><p>"Put that away," she said irritably.</p><p>"Are you kidding me?" She answered and then added in a dramatic tone "The great Kagami Tsurugi without words!  This moment must be saved for posterity!"</p><p>"Stop being a bother, Chloe!*</p><p>The two girls locked eyes with each other for a few minutes before laughing.</p><p>"If it's okay with you, mother, I'll think about it. Can I give you an answer after lunch?"</p><p>"Perfect" Tomoe contract with a smile, then added, "you should call your grandfather, Kiseki misses you."</p><p>Kagami smiled at the mention of her pet and together with her friends they retired to their room.  Upon entering, the kitten that Marinette had rescued the night before approached them and snuggled into Kagami's lap, who was the first to take a seat when they had all sat down on the bed and were sure that Kagami's mother was not.  I heard them began to speak.</p><p>"All right, I better tell you my plan." Marinette told them and then added, "But I need to know if you want to practice today, Kagami."</p><p>"I don't know" she answered, "honestly, I'm glad that my mother asked my opinion about it, on the other hand, I would like to see what the place is where the tournament will take place, analyzing the battlefield is a good way to ensure victory."</p><p>"You do know that it is a friendly tournament and not war, right?" Chloe asked with a smile "You don't have to take it so seriously."</p><p>"Chloe, I love fencing, I always take it seriously" Kagami replied with a smile as she added, " just like you take seriously every photoshoot you have no matter how small it is."</p><p>Chloe and Marinette smiled at Kagami's words, they all had a passion that they loved, sometimes it could be tiring or extremely difficult, but when you do what you love and achieve a self-imposed goal, it is worth it.  Chloe and Marinette knew that Kagami wanted to win this tournament, it was no wonder she was so passionate.</p><p>Marinette loved designing.</p><p>Chloe had discovered a passion for modeling.</p><p>And Kagami had grown up loving fencing.</p><p>"So you want to go today?" Marinette asked again with an understanding tone.</p><p>"Yes I do, but I don't want to leave you both alone," Kagami replied as Chloe hugged her.</p><p>"I knew you loved me!"</p><p>The three teenagers laughed at Chloe's antics.</p><p>"If you want to go, that's fine." Chloe assured her "you are always understanding when I have to go to modeling classes."</p><p>"Or when I am behind schedule in one of my commissions, you always support me."</p><p>The three girls shared a hug.</p><p>"With that cleared up, what do we do to send Chloe to Paris?"</p><p>"You ruined the moment, Kagami!" Chloe complained, then added, "but I also want to know what your plan is Marinette."</p><p>"Well, if you go to the practice we can go to the animal shelter, while I talk to the shelter workers, you use Kaalkie to go back to Paris, you make sure Marc is okay and we wait for Tomoe and Kagami to pick us up to back to the hotel, unfortunately, I have to hand over this little one" As she said it, she pointed to the kitten that was still in Kagami's lap, who raised its head and meowed at them "because we can't keep it, right?"</p><p>"It would be a bit irresponsible" Kagami mentioned as she stroked the kitten, although she sounded a bit doubtful "we shouldn't, right?"</p><p>Chloe stared at the kitten, who meowed and put its paw on Chloe's nose.</p><p>"To hell with responsibility!  I want it!" exclaimed the blonde "This little one is adorable, utterly adorable!"</p><p>"Chloe!  You can't make a decision like that out of nowhere!" Marinette said "Pets mean a great responsibility. Are you sure?"</p><p>"I have wanted to adopt a pet since Kagami adopted Kiseki" explained the blonde as she cuddles the kitten" but none of the animals that I have seen in the foundation have connected with me like this little one."</p><p>"We don't know if it belongs to someone and it's just lost," Kagami pointed out, to which Chloe was discouraged, she wouldn't steal a pet from anyone.  But she really wanted a pet, and since they had returned from Paris, the kitty had stayed close to Chloe, as if it knew she was feeling bad.</p><p>"I've been reading about the Gotham City animal shelter, it seems they have a missing pet reporting system in the city and neighboring cities to be sure " Marinette mentioned, who was moved to see the expression on Chloe's face when she saw to the kitten "What do you think if we talk to them, we explain the situation to them, and if nobody claims it for when we have to return to Paris, then you can adopt it?"</p><p>"Sounds like a good idea" Kagami mentioned, "that will give you time to convince your parents to let you adopt it."</p><p>"That's not going to be a problem," Chloe said confidently "Mommy and Daddy already know that I've wanted to adopt a pet for a long time."</p><p>"Even so, you should ask their permission" recommend Marinette.</p><p>"If you say so," she said as she took out her smartphone suddenly, the other two girls saw a mischievous smile on the blonde's lips "I have a better idea."</p><p>She pulled out her phone and took a selfie with the kitten, who cooperated with Chloe looking at the camera, almost posing.</p><p>Showy cat.</p><p>Kagami and Marinette smiled when they saw the photo of Chloe and the kitten on the blonde's Instagram with a single question.  'Can I keep it?'.</p><p>At the moment the girl already had almost 100 likes and her mother had already answered.</p><p>"That cat is more model material than a certain someone, at least seeing it doesn't hurt my eyes"</p><p>The three girls read Audrey's comment and smiled.</p><p>"Is she talking about ...?"</p><p>"Yup, the one who must not be named"</p><p>"Voldemort?"</p><p>"No girl, Lila Rossi." Chloe commented smiling "we are lucky that this kitten has more model material than the one who must not be named."</p><p>"Why 'the one who must not be named'?"</p><p>"Because just saying her name gives me a stomachache."</p><p>Kagami and Marinette laughed at Chloe's antics.</p><p>"Yeah, I think so," Marinette said giggling  "Is that a yes or a no?"</p><p>"I think it's a yes, look," she said showing them André's comment asking her if she was sure, and Audrey's saying that a classy cat deserves a classy family.</p><p>"You should call them" Kagami advised, "I have to call my grandfather and you could call your parents Marinette."</p><p>Chloe and Marinette decided to follow their friend's advice and call their families, when they finished they heard Kagami say goodbye to her grandfather and her dog.</p><p>"Yes grandfather, I will be careful and I will tell mother to also be careful" then they heard the young Japanese woman laugh "take care of my grandfather, Kiseki." to which the barking of a dog was heard in response.  "That's my Boy!"</p><p>They waited a few seconds and when the young Japanese girl had hung up they went to Tomoe's room.  They knocked on the door and when she gestured for them to come in, Kagami stepped forward and said.</p><p>"Mother, I do want to practice today, would you take me?"</p><p>Tomoe smiled at the determined words of her daughter, although there was a time when she believed that having friends who did not follow the same lifestyle would only bring her suffering, today she realized that no matter how different they were from each other, her friends gave Kagami strength and courage to achieve her goals.</p><p>"Okay, we can go after lunch."</p><p>"We wanted to see if you could take us to the Gotham City animal shelter," Marinette requested respectfully.</p><p>"I thought you wanted to adopt the cat, Chloe." Tomoe said surprised.</p><p>"Well, I do, but we have to see if someone lost it ..." Chloe began, then stopped and asked, "How do you know I want to keep the kitten?"</p><p>" Audrey called me" the woman answered with a smile "she wants to know if you have enough money to the vaccinations for the cat or if you will do it when you get to Paris."</p><p>" I have daddy's card, no problem."</p><p>"Ah!  She also wanted to know if it's female or male."</p><p>"Uhh, good question," she said looking the cat in the eyes "Are you a girl or a boy?"</p><p>"The cat won't answer you, you have to lift its tail and see," Kagami said, rolling her eyes.</p><p>"That sounds like sexual harassment."</p><p>"Chloe, it's a cat," Kagami said with a deadpan expression.</p><p>"So what?  Cats have rights too!"</p><p>"Quit the drama, Chloe."</p><p>"Never!"</p><p>"She's a female," Marinette said, ignoring the craziness of her friends, as she stroked the kitten.</p><p>They both turned to see the girl, who was smiling at them.</p><p>"Thanks for checking, Maribug."</p><p>"You're not going to accuse her of cat harassment?" Kagami asked sarcastically.</p><p>"Number 1, Marinette volunteers at the animal shelter in Paris, so she's authorized" Chloe answered with an air of dignity "Secondly, who taught you to be sarcastic?"</p><p>"Nathaniel," Kagami answered with a smile.</p><p>"Damn redhead! I'll make him pay for this!"</p><p>Tomoe smiled upon hearing the conversation/discussion between her daughter and her friends.  It was nice knowing that her daughter had friends to smile and cry with.</p><p>"In any case," Tomoe said, getting the teenagers attention  "it would be better if we had something to eat, later on, we can leave you on the animal shelter"</p><p>*******************************************<br/>Damian was having lunch with his family as he went over his plan to approach Marinette Dupain-Cheng as a civilian.</p><p>If he hadn't been so focused, he might have noticed the furtive glances his brothers gave him.</p><p>"Father, after lunch, I will go to the animal shelter, I have not delivered my donation yet. " Said the teenager trying to sound casual.</p><p>If the others had been paying attention, they would have noticed how the young Wayne tried to maintain a casual tone that, to be honest, did not suit him.</p><p>But luck was on his side, his brothers had their minds elsewhere and did not notice Damian's hidden nervousness.  Well, except Cassandra, but nothing escapes her so it doesn't count.</p><p>"Sounds good to me," Bruce replied with a smile.  He had always found very interesting how Damian had such an affinity for animals.</p><p>"Can I go with you, Damian?" Asked the tender voice of Helena Wayne, who looked at her older brother with puppy eyes "I want to see the kittens, please?"</p><p>Damian thought about it for a few minutes, taking Helena would be counterproductive in his attempts to get closer to Marinette, but rejecting her would be even worse.  His brothers would know that he was hiding something and they never left him alone.</p><p>"I don't see why not, unless father thinks otherwise," Damian said, noticing how Bruce seemed thoughtful.</p><p>Perhaps, if luck was on his side, his father would think it was a bad idea to let his three-year-old daughter go to an animal shelter.  That hope died when he saw how Bruce melted before Helena's baby doll eyes.  "Father, you disappoint me," Damien thought.</p><p>"You have to promise to be good with your brother."</p><p>"I promise!" The princess Wayne said excitedly.</p><p>After lunch, both Damien and Helena headed for the animal shelter.</p><p>On the way, Damien thought "I had no luck in preventing Helena from coming with me, with my luck, the chances of seeing her again are almost zero"</p><p>However, luck, young Wayne, is fickle.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well here is the next chapter.</p><p>I know that I took like forever to update, but I have the biggest block ever, I was just sitting there, in front of my laptop, trying to write something but nothing came to me, I'm sorry for that.</p><p>Regarding to the chapter...</p><p>The bets are open and little by little the whole family will be involved.</p><p>In the next chapter Damian and Marinette will have their first interaction as civilians, wait for it.</p><p>Any suggestions for the kitten's name?  I really suck at naming animals, usually, my brother decides the name of our pets, the only one I've named is my white cat, I named him Shiro.</p><p>Based on the suggestions I have received I will use the two cliches I mentioned earlier, Alfred's and Jagged's.</p><p>I think that would be it, thanks for reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Fairy or angel?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Outside the Gotham City animal shelter, there was a car with 4 females inside.</p><p>"You have my phone number, right?"</p><p>"Yes Tomoe."</p><p>"Well, if you need to leave earlier, call me and I will send Katsu."</p><p>"Understood ma'am." Chloe said mockingly while doing a military salute.</p><p>"Chloe" Tomoe told her in a warning tone, then sighed "be careful, this city is dangerous, caution never hurts."</p><p>"We understand and I promise you that we will be careful" Marinette assured her with a warm tone, Tomoe nodded at the girl's words, and together with Kagami they left.</p><p>Marinette and Chloe turned towards the building where the Gotham City animal shelter was located.</p><p>From the outside, the place almost looked like a normal building, just a little more colorful.  Its walls were painted color lavender and there were details of dog paws on the front door, which was black.</p><p>"It lacks a bit of style" Chloe commented as the kitten, who was in the blonde's arms, meowed in agreement "but hey, let's see what's inside."</p><p>Marinette sighed at the pair of divas in front of her. She wished that the kitten had no owner because she and Chloe had hit it off so well.</p><p>Marinette looked closely at the kitten in Chloe's arms.  Her fur was white, but it had black spots on its hind legs, a brown spot on its back, and an orange spot on its left ear, it had gray eyes and a black spot on the tip of its tail.  Nothing in her seemed to indicate that she had an owner, her fur was not well cared for, and after the scare of the previous night, she had eaten with great enthusiasm.  Sighing, she decided to drop the matter, for now, hoping she wouldn't have to separate her friend from the kitten.</p><p>The two girls and the kitten entered the shelter, the hall was well lit and cozy.  Both approached the desk where a boy of about 19 years with a black T-shirt with the logo of the animal shelter, smiled at them.</p><p>"Welcome to the Gotham City animal shelter" he said with an enthusiastic tone "my name is Henry, how can I help you?"</p><p>"My name is Marinette and she is Chloe, last night we found this little one" Marinette replied with a smile while pointing to the kitten in Chloe's arms "Chloe is interested in adopting her, but we don't know if she already belongs to someone.  Is there a way to check it?"</p><p>"Of course" said Henry with a smile while checking on his computer, then added "there are no reports of missing cats, however, we will have to make a notice about it, if no one claims it in a month, we can proceed with the adoption."</p><p>"Can she stay with me while we wait?" Chloe asked in a pleading voice "I would very much like to have her with me."</p><p>The boy reflected for a few moments, both how Marinette noticed how the kitten and Chloe did not want to separate, then something occurred to him:</p><p>"Correct me if I'm wrong, but before proceeding with an adoption, it is possible to have a trial period."</p><p>"That's correct" said the boy with a smile "it's mostly to see if the family and the animal are compatible."</p><p>"I know this is not an adoption per se, but could the trial period apply?" Marinette asked "if the kitten has an owner then we will return it."</p><p>"Sounds good to me, but I'll have to consult with the manager" answered the boy "could you wait a few minutes?"</p><p>"Of course"</p><p>"No problem."</p><p>Both girls took their seats while they waited.  It wasn't that long, after about 15 minutes an elderly woman appeared, with a slight appearance with chocolate-colored hair, her face was kind and she had wrinkles near her eyes, the kind that appears from smiling frequently.</p><p>"Good morning, girls, my name is Marla" she introduced herself happily "Henry explained the situation to me. Who is the one who wants to adopt?"</p><p>"That would be me" Chloe said taking a step forward "nice to meet you, my name is Chloe Bourgeois."</p><p>Marla examined the young blonde for a few seconds that seemed to last forever on the blonde girl humble opinion, then Marla smiled.</p><p>"Well, you can see that the little one in your arms loves you very much."</p><p>"It's a girl, actually," Chloe said as she sighed in relief, "I've never felt so comfortable with another animal before.  Well, there is our friend Kagami's dog, but that little ball of cuteness can't make anyone feel uncomfortable."</p><p>Both girls smiled at the thought of Kiseki, the little cappuccino-colored puppy that Kagami had adopted.</p><p>Kiseki had been the first dog Marinette had ever rescued, they had found him tied to a post near the Siena River.  Although it had clearly been abandoned, the puppy did not show aggressiveness when it had been rescued, he'll not stop trying to lick the members of the shelter who had contact with him.</p><p>Although he was affectionate to everyone in the shelter, as soon as he had laid eyes on Kagami, his affection for her had been crystal clear.</p><p>Marinette had been a little nervous when she had seen the puppy run towards the Japanese girl, but any doubt had evaporated when she observed how the usually cold girl, had bent down to play with the puppy.  It was the first time Marinette had heard Kagami speak in such an affectionate way.</p><p>Although it had taken a bit of work to convince Tomoe, it had paid off in the end.  Now Kiseki was part of the Tsurugi family.</p><p>Marinette knew that Chloe was a little jealous of Kagami.  From the moment Kiseki had become the Tsurugi family dog, Chloe discovered that she herself desired a pet.  Hoping to find an animal that would match her, the blonde had started visiting the animal shelter a lot, and while no animal was apathetic to her, none had the kind of connection that the blonde yearned for.  So seeing her so excited with the kitten they found the night before made Marinette wish so badly that the kitten had no owner, it would be very cruel to separate Chloe from her feline friend.  Marla's voice brought Marinette out of her thoughts.</p><p>"Very good ladies" she said animatedly "this is what we are going to do, we will take a couple of photos of the kitten and create a report, if no one claims her in 28 days, she will be free to adopt."</p><p>"Excuse me, I would like to know if the option that Marinette mentioned is available, the test." Chloe said hopefully.</p><p>Marla thought for a few seconds.</p><p>"The thing is, we don't know if the kitten has an owner" Marla explained, looking at Chloe, who was visibly discouraged "I'll tell you what we'll do, here in Gotham we have a system that helps us take care of more animals, it's like a foster house system.  Some of our volunteers take the animals home and care for them from their homes, then the animal is put up for adoption.  In your case, you would be fulfilling that function without being a volunteer, but I will need 5 personal references and you will have to come 3 times a week and help out for a while during the 28 days.  Is that OK with you?"</p><p>"Yes!  Of course!" Chloe said almost jumping "I promise I'll help where I can!  I don't know how to do much, but I'll try my best!"</p><p>Marla and Henry smiled at the young blonde's enthusiasm.  Marinette smiled too.<br/>A pet could help Chloe a great deal.  Marinette knew that Kiseki had helped Kagami more than anyone could have.  There was something wonderful about animals that could make people feel good.</p><p>"I have a question" Chloe said raising her hand "Can I use Marinette as a reference?"</p><p>"Sounds good" Marla answered with a smile, but then added seriously "just keep in mind that, since we are giving you volunteer privileges, it would be preferable if it were from people who have dealt with a rescued animals before.  Henry told me that it was you who suggested the trial period, Miss Marinette, have you adopted any animals from a shelter?"</p><p>"No, I have never been able to adopt, but I work as a volunteer at the Brigitte Bardot foundation" the Parisian answered quickly " I think that the best way to confirm Chloe's references would be to call the shelter, they can confirm that Chloe can handle the kitten."</p><p>Marla was surprised and pleased at the young woman's words.</p><p>Marinette felt a bit guilty, she didn't like the idea of bragging about her volunteer work to get something, but if it helped Chloe ...</p><p>"Wonderful!" Marla exclaimed, pulling her out of her thoughts "That will speed up the process!  I was a little worried because you are not local and it would be difficult to acclimate the kitten to a new environment."</p><p>"How did you know we are not local?"  Chloe asked. "Are we so obvious?"</p><p>"A little, you can still hear the accent" Henry replied with a smile "Europe?"</p><p>"Paris" both answered while nodding their heads.</p><p>"Marla, we have a problem" said a girl who was entering the room "the people who were going to deliver the new beds for the animals ran out of inventory and do not know when they will be able to send them."</p><p>"That's terrible!  We asked for those beds because a cold front is coming!" Marla complained with a frustrated and pained expression "We need those beds!"</p><p>"Maybe I can help," Chloe said as she raised her hand. "I'll have to make a couple of calls, but I can try to get what you need. Can I have a list, please?"</p><p>Marla thought about it for a few minutes before sighing.</p><p>"I don't like the idea of abusing you, but we really need those beds, Delia, give him a list of what we need, we'll see how to pay later"</p><p>By now everyone was moving and Marinette saw her chance for Chloe to visit Marc.</p><p>As the others moved around the place, Marinette passed the horse's miraculous to her friend, she smiled as she passed the kitten.</p><p>"Take care of her, please" Chloe asked, still reluctant to let go of the kitten "I will send you the details of the delivery of those beds."</p><p>"No problem, say hello to Mar for me and remember that no one, except the boys, can see you."</p><p>"Yes, fairy godmother" she said mockingly "I'll be here before the bells ring."</p><p>"Remember that Tomoe will pick us up at 5:00 PM" she said looking at her cell phone "right now it's 2:00 PM, you have 3 hours to return."</p><p>"Then Tomoe would be the evil stepmother and Kagami the stepsister right?"</p><p>"Chloe!"</p><p>"Ok, Maribug, don't worry, I'll leave the Cinderella analogy."</p><p>"Thank you, be very careful."</p><p>Chloe took the glasses and Kaalkie and they disappeared in a flash.</p><p>"Where did the girl go?"  Marla asked, making Marinette jump.</p><p>"She had to make some calls to get the beds" I answer quickly and then try to change the subject "and tell me, Did something happen with the old beds?"</p><p>"That's right, well,  you see two days ago there was an attempted robbery by the "Riddler" two blocks from here" the woman explained as she guided Marinette to the area where the animals were "Batman and Robin stopped him, but the battle came up to this point."</p><p>"Oh no!  Is everyone fine?"</p><p>"Yes, no one was injured, neither the volunteers nor the animals" she explained with a relaxed smile, then frowned "There was only material damage, almost all the animal beds were unusable and our heating system is damaged, that's why is a little cold in here.  The maintenance guys can't come in until next week, but a cold front is expected for the remainder of the week."</p><p>"I understand, that's why they need the new beds urgently."</p><p>"That's right, I hope your friend can help us" Marla said "generally, I don't like to abuse people's help, after all, everything we have comes from the voluntary donations we receive.  But the animals are a little grumpy from the cold, and even though they haven't attacked anyone, I'm worried they might hurt each other."</p><p>Marinette listened with a worried expression to Marla's explanation.  She wished Chloe could get what they needed.<br/>At that moment, Marinette's cell phone notified her of a message from the blonde.  Reading it, she smiled.</p><p>"It seems that Chloe will be able to help you" she said, drawing Marla's attention "What time do you close the shelter?"</p><p>"We close to the public at 6 in the afternoon" answered Marla with a surprised expression "but there are always at least 2 volunteers to take care of the animals."</p><p>"Perfect!" Marinette said with a smile "Chloe had to make some calls, it was not possible to get all the beds from the same supplier, so they will be delivering the beds little by little.  The first beds will be delivered in about an hour.  The others will arrive later during the day.  She keeps working on it."</p><p>"That was fast" Marla commented in amazement, then added in a much more animated tone "This is great!  Do we need something to claim them?"</p><p>"Chloe sent me the voucher, don't worry, I'll stay here until Chloe comes so I'll help with that" she said with a dazzling smile and then added "You mentioned that some animals were a bit agitated, maybe I can help."</p><p>Marla turned to look at the girl with a small appearance and her pastel pink halter top and a pair of blue jeans, she had a flower headband in her hair and looked like a delicate doll.</p><p>"Yes, well, don't be offended, but won't it be too much of a challenge for you?"</p><p>"I'm not offended" Marinette answered with a smile "don't worry, I have experience dealing animals a little bit aggressive, at the foundation, I help with the rescue of abandoned animals, some of them are somewhat aggressive so I learned to deal with them."</p><p>That was a little lie, the truth is that being the chosen one of the ladybug's miraculous, the aura of creation that she radiated calmed the animals, that is why she had decided to train that aura while helping the rescue team.  Two birds with one stone.</p><p>"Is it okay if I call the foundation to check? " Marla asked " It's not that I doubt you, but I would feel better if I check it before letting you help, I already told you before, some of these animals are quite moody and they are fighting for the remaining resources."</p><p>"Of course, I understand" the Parisian answered while nodding.</p><p>Marla moved away from the little Parisian a bit, the two girls were nice and the fact that the blonde girl "Chloe" had offered without thinking twice to help them, well, both girls had left a very good impression on her.</p><p>She was thinking about that when she absentmindedly picked up her phone and dialed the Brigitte Bardot Foundation number, at two rings a man answered her in French.  A little nervous, she asked to the volunteers if anyone could speak French, to her good luck, Henry was studying languages at the university and it seems that he had the basic knowledge of French.</p><p>After a few minutes, in which Henry was watching Marinette in disguised astonishment, the call ended.</p><p>"Well, what did they tell you?" Marla asked trying not to sound impatient.</p><p>" It seems that Marinette is more qualified than many of us when it comes to aggressive animals."</p><p>"Really?" Asked a skeptic Charles, one of the volunteers who, without Marla noticing, had approached them with curiosity about the girl "She doesn't seem like a big deal."</p><p>"Don't be an idiot, Charlie," said Joana, another volunteer "Appearances can be deceiving, and if Henry has already check her experience, that's enough for me."</p><p>"Ok, but she's just a little girl, how can she be more qualified than us?" He asked with a tone of arrogance in his voice.</p><p>Marla sighed, Charlie was a good boy and he really loved animals, but he could be quite arrogant.  He didn't like the idea that someone younger was better than him when it came to animals.</p><p>And it was worse than ever since the young Damian Wayne, who visited them regularly to see if they needed anything, had managed to calm an old dog whom no one had managed to approach without being bitten.  That had been a very strong blow to his pride.</p><p>The fact that Damian was just as arrogant as him hadn't helped at all.</p><p>"Well, it has more than 100 registered rescues ..."</p><p>"I admit it's a good number ..."</p><p>"In a year," Henry finished.</p><p>"You're lying" Charlie said with an incredulous expression "How is that even possible?"</p><p>" Very good or very bad luck?" Joana suggested " Who cares?  The important thing is that she offered to help us!"</p><p>" If you care so much about her experience you can check the reports they sent me from the foundation" said Henry as I opened her email "it seems that the members of the foundation like to brag about Marinette."</p><p>Charlie left the room grumbling as Joana approached Marinette to point out where the animals were.  Marla walked over to Henry.</p><p>"What do you think?" Asked the woman with a serious look.</p><p>Marla was very confident in Henry's judgment, he had been the one who had recommended Marla to let Damian Wayne help with the animals when she still had doubts about the young heir.</p><p>It is not that Marla enjoyed distrusting people, but since she was a child she wanted to take care of an animal shelter, when she was 20 years old she had succeeded, but she had had bad experiences with people who only wanted to look good when seen in an animal shelter.  That had made her suspicious.</p><p>Henry was the only one who knew that part of the nice woman's story, so he smiled at her.</p><p>"Don't worry, she's legit" he said watching the teenager being guided by Joana "To be honest, she reminds me a bit of Damian."</p><p>Marla looked at him incredulously.</p><p>"Damian?  Damian Wayne?" She asked just to be sure, to which Henry let out a giggle "According to you, how are they alike?  That girl is adorable and has a very sweet smile and Damien is a good boy, but ..."</p><p>"Not in that sense" he answered with a smile "I mean that they both have this kind of, I don't know how to say it ... aura, it's different but just as powerful."</p><p>Marla shrugged, Henry was a little weird sometimes.</p><p>That's what her thought until after a few minutes she looked out into the courtyard and saw Marinette sitting on a stone with Felix's head in her lap, taking into account that Felix was an old and a little grumpy dog who didn't let almost anyone get close,  it was quite surprising to see him so meek.  If we add to that that Charlie and Johana, who generally argued incessantly, were sitting next to her talking with the French girl in a way that looked semi-civilized, and that next to them were the most recent litter of puppies that the shelter had and the kitten that Marinette's friend wanted to adopt, all sitting there, under the shade of a cherry tree, well, maybe Marla shouldn't have had that burrito for breakfast a week ago, the scene in front of her was too strange to be real.</p><p>At that moment, Henry called her because apparently, the beds for the animals had arrived.</p><p>"That was quick," the woman thought as he called Marinette to hand over the proof of payment.</p><p>Within half an hour, a dozen large animal beds and half a dozen small beds had been unloaded at the shelter's reception.</p><p>"Well, the next order will be a little bigger" Marinette mentioned with a smile "Do you need help to locate the beds?"</p><p>"No, honey, thank you very much" Marla said with a smile, however, Marinette seemed a bit discouraged.  Noticing it, Henry intervened.</p><p>"If you want to help, why don't you take care of Felix and the puppies" he suggested with a smile "we need Charlie back there and Johana will stay at the reception, it would not be wise to leave them alone."</p><p>Marinette smiled as she nodded and headed out into the yard to take care of the animals, with the kitten still in her arms.</p><p>As Marla left to show the boys how to locate the beds, I can't help but think about what Henry had said.  Maybe the boy wasn't as weird as she thought.</p><p>Later ...</p><p>When Damian Wayne and his sister Helena entered the animal shelter, young Wayne almost wished he hadn't entered.</p><p>One of his worst nightmares was attending the reception.  Johana Maxwell.</p><p>She had always found the young woman's hyperactive attitude annoying.</p><p>Yes, Kent and Mizoguchi were hyperactive too, but they were his friends, it was his obligation to tolerate their antics, this woman's on the other hand ...</p><p>"Hey Wayne kids!  Fancy to see you!"</p><p>"Hi!  I am Helena!" Said her little sister approaching the counter "Who are you?"</p><p>"Helena!  You already know me!" She said trying to keep her smile "Have you forgotten about me?"</p><p>"Yes ma'am."</p><p>Damian almost smirked at Maxwell's expression, the woman looked like she wanted to cry at being called ma'am.  Then, looking around, she realized that there were some packages at the reception of the shelter.</p><p>"Did something happened?" She asked pointing to the packages.</p><p>"Ah!" Johana said coming out of her reverie about premature old age " Do you remember that the "Riddler" attacked two days ago?"</p><p>Damian nodded and frowned, it hadn't been particularly difficult to catch the "Riddle", but it had been annoying.</p><p>"Well, the battle left some problems in the shelter" he commented while pointing to the back of the shelter, seeing Damien's frown, he added " Don't worry!  No person or animal was hurt!"</p><p>Damien nodded, that was a relief.</p><p>"What did happen is that almost all the animal beds were ruined and our heating system died" she said while scratching the back of her neck  " in the daytime it's okay, and those of us who stayed at night brought about 10 sweaters."</p><p>"But, a cold front is approaching" Damian commented with a worried expression.</p><p>"True, but we get help from couple of angels fallen from heaven" said the young woman with a huge smile.</p><p>"Angels?"  Damian asked skeptically.</p><p>"Yep, believe it or not" she said while sticking out his tongue "We were having trouble getting the spare beds because of the cold front, but the two of them helped us get them.  One of them is in the back with the animals and you won't believe it, but Felix allowed himself to be peted by her."</p><p>That had caught Damian's attention.  Felix was an old dog who had had trouble adjusting to the animal shelter after his previous owner was killed in one of the Joker's extravagances.</p><p>Robin had saved Felix, so Felix let Damian get closer.</p><p>But until recently he was the only one who could actually pet Felix, he tolerated the shelter volunteers, but only allowed himself to be touched by Damian, in fact, Damian kept trying to persuade his father to let him adopt Felix.</p><p>Seeing the look of disbelief on young Wayne's face, Johana smiled.</p><p>"If you don't believe me, why don't you see it by yourself?"</p><p>Damian snorted and took his little sister's hand as he headed out to the patio.</p><p>Looking out, he could see what Maxwell was referring to.</p><p>Sitting on a stone under a cherry tree was the girl Damian wanted to see again, Lucy was right, Marinette was here.</p><p>And yes, Johana Maxwell was right, she looked like an angel, with her pastel pink blouse and a flower headband in her hair, added to her kind smile, she looked like an angel.  And if we add to that how the animals around her were playing around her while she stroked Felix and the cat she had rescued last night, well, the image was quite angelic.  There was something almost ethereal about the Parisian girl.</p><p>"Yes, she does look like an angel" murmured the young Wayne without even thinking about it, when he realized it, he thanked no one had heard him.  Well, almost no one...</p><p>"Do you think so? Helena asked him with a confused look "Nope, silly Damian, you're confused, angels have wings."</p><p>"It's just a figure of speaking" he said praying that her sweet little sister wasn't going to tell the others what he had said "don't mind me."</p><p>"Ok, but I am sure that she is not an angel" when seeing the confused look of her older brother, Helena sighed and said in a matter of fact tone "it's clear that that lady over there is a fairy."</p><p>"Of course, Helena, whatever you say," Damian answered absently as he turned to see the Parisian.</p><p>Helena pouted at her brother's response.  The lady was definitely a fairy, she had flowers in her hair, like fairies, she was good with animals, like fairies, and she had a very pretty smile, like fairies.</p><p>Also, in all the stories that Grandpa Alfred read to her, there was always a fairy near a princess to help her.  Both Helena and Mar'i were the princesses of the house, that's what Grandpa Alfred said, and Grandpa Alfred is right, so it was obvious that the fairy lady had come to help Mar'i, who for some reason had been sad lately.</p><p>Mar'i hadn't told Helena because she was sad, she told her that she couldn't tell anyone and made her promise, so Helena couldn't ask her daddy or mommy for help and neither her older brother Dick nor Kori, she couldn't even ask Grandpa Alfred for help.</p><p>But fairies were magical, surely she could find out why Mar'i was sad and make her feel better.</p><p>At that moment, an older woman approached the Wayne brothers.</p><p>"Good afternoon Damian, it's good to see you."</p><p>"Good afternoon, Mrs. Daniels" he answered respectfully, Helena was not very surprised, contrary to what her other brothers thought, Damien did know how to be respectful.</p><p>"Hello to you too Helena." Said the woman bending down to be at her height.</p><p>Helena smiled sheepishly and waved at her.  Marla smiled and stood up again to speak to Damian.</p><p>"Johana told me that she already informed you of the situation."</p><p>"That's right" Damian answered seriously *How can I help?"</p><p>Marla smiled at the boy's disposition.  Damian Wayne was seen by many as the ice prince, cold and indifferent, but Marla knew that the boy had a warm side.  No one knew much about the childhood of Bruce Wayne's only biological son, but Marla suspected that he did not have a normal childhood and perhaps that is why he is always hiding behind a mask of coldness so as not to attract pity.</p><p>Anyway, Damian would always be welcome in the shelter, as much as Charlie will fight him, everyone in the shelter appreciated him.</p><p>"For now, it seems that everything is covered" she said with a smile as she looked at the young Parisian in the courtyard "We got a couple of angels help."</p><p>Hearing the woman, Helena couldn't help but pout.</p><p>She was not an angel!  It was a fairy!</p><p>Helena took advantage of the fact that Marla had started talking to her brother to sneak up to where the fairy lady was.</p><p>As she approached, she noticed that the girl was humming a song while caressing the kitten, because yes, Helena knew it was female, to which the kitten purred happily.</p><p>"AHA!"  The little girl thought "That proves she's a fairy! Fairies are good with animals."</p><p>So, with all the confidence and assurance of a three-year-old, she approached the young girl.</p><p>"Excuse me, miss," he said, drawing the attention of the girl, who gave him a kind smile, encouraging Helena. "Are you a fairy or an angel?"</p><p>"I beg you pardon?"  Marinette asked as she blinked in confusion.</p><p>"My brother and the lady of the shelter say that you are an angel, but I believe that you are a fairy" explained the girl, to which Marinette could not help blushing "then, miss, are you a fairy or a  Angel?"</p><p>Meanwhile, Damian, who had been listening carefully to the damage report that Marla was giving him, was alarmed to notice that his sister was not by his side.</p><p>Damian wondered how she was so good at sneaking around, though considering who her parents were, it wasn't that strange either.</p><p>"Where did Helena go?"</p><p>"Are you talking about the little girl who is talking to Marinette?"  Asked Charles Gibson with an indifferent expression as she pointed to the two girls.</p><p>Damian sighed as he began to walk towards where his sister was.</p><p>Until he heard his little sister's question. Then he started to run towards them.</p><p>"My brother and the lady of the shelter say that you are an angel, but I believe that you are a fairy, then, miss, are you a fairy or an angel?"</p><p>Damian Wayne then understood the terror that a child's innocent honesty can provoke.</p><p>"Helena!  What are you doing?" He asked in an intimidating tone, which did not affect his sister in the least.</p><p>"Not now Damian, I want to talk to the fairy lady."</p><p>"Helena, you're being rude."</p><p>"Nope" replied Princess Wayne stubbornly "I'm talking with the fairy lady."</p><p>"Helena ..."</p><p>"Damian, please" and there they were, the doom of the Wayne family, the baby doll eyes.  Damien was not immune, but he was highly resistant.</p><p>Damien held his sister's gaze until a soft laugh interrupted their gaze war.</p><p>Marinette couldn't help but giggle, the little girl's innocence and stubbornness, Helena if she wasn't mistaken, was extremely adorable.</p><p>Then she realized that the pair of siblings had fixed their gazes on her.</p><p>Just as she was about to apologize, Helena smirked and pointed at her.</p><p>"You see!  That laugh was like a fairy laugh!"</p><p>"How do you know how a fairy laughs?"</p><p>"Like her!" She said as he pointed at her again "That's how fairies laugh!"</p><p>"Stop pointing!  It's rude" he scolded her, to which the girl lowered her finger, but frowned.  "Don't make that face, remember that Brown said that if you frown a lot your face will get stuck"</p><p>"She said that happened to you."</p><p>Marinette was still watching the interaction of the pair of siblings with a bit of amazement, Helena's innocence was adorable, but the way she argued with her brother left her a little astonished.  She was almost a toddler!  How could she argued without resorting to the typical 'because that's how it is'?</p><p>The older brother noticed Marinette's discomfort and apologized to her.</p><p>"I'm very sorry, miss" he said as he looked at her with a respectful expression "Helena is the youngest in my family and is a bit spoiled.  I'm sorry if she was rude."</p><p>"No!  Not at all!" She said while gesturing hastily "in fact, it was very nice of her to call me a fairy." Marinette curled up to be at the height of Helena and smiling said "I'm sorry to say I'm not a fairy."</p><p>Helena stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded.</p><p>"OK, I'm Helena Wayne and this is my brother Damian" she said as her brother looked at her in alarm.</p><p>"A pleasure Helena, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She replied with a smile.</p><p>At that moment, Johana showed up, informing Marinette of the arrival of a new shipment of bedding for the animals.  Marinette asked Johana to take care of animals so she could go and help, this shipment was just cat beds and blankets, so it would not be too heavy.  Leaving the kitten in Johana's care, she got up.</p><p>Marinette turned to see the brothers to say goodbye, but Helena was ahead of her.</p><p>"Can we help?"</p><p>"Ummm well..."</p><p>Damian then interrupted her train of thought.</p><p>"Helena, you wait here with Maxwell, I'll go." He said and then fixed her green eyes on Marinette "if you don't mind, of course."</p><p>"Of course not!" She said smiling nervously "But I think we should ask Marla."</p><p>"It seems appropriate, after you."</p><p>And so, both teenagers entered the building being watched by the little princess Wayne.</p><p>"What happened mini-Wayne?" Johana asked her, as she watched the girl sit on the stone where Marinette was before.</p><p>"Nothing"  she said while smiling and petting miss fairy kitten.</p><p>After all, Helena knew that sometimes you had to keep secrets, her daddy and mommy were full of secrets.</p><p>Helena was convinced that Marinette was a fairy on a secret mission, so she would not say anything until she completed her mission, then she would ask her for help for Mar'i.  After all, she could almost feel something magical coming out of her, like with Zatana and Raven.</p><p>It was clear, she was a fairy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I humbly apologize for the time that I spended without writing.  🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️</p><p>I just didn't have the heart to do it.</p><p>However, something good came out of this, I will be uploading 2 chapters per week until the end of the year, unless for reasons of force majeure I cannot.</p><p>Also, I'm writing a spin-off series on this universe.  The first chapter is already up.  It is not necessary to read it, but some things that I cannot expand on here are going to be there, and the first chapter works as a timeline to position this fic on thee miraculous universe, from the perspective of Jean Patrick, Chloe's butler, I recommend you to read it.</p><p>First interaction as civilians, what do you think?</p><p>I know Damian and Marinette's first interaction as civilians was a bit short, but I promise they'll socialize more in the next chapter.</p><p>Now, I would like to ask your opinion on the name of the kitten, I have received several suggestions and these are the ones I like the most.</p><p>Missy</p><p>Jean (as Chloe's butler)</p><p>Honey</p><p>Honey</p><p>Duchess</p><p>Fortune</p><p>Abelia (it is a flower that bees like)</p><p>Linette</p><p>Dicat</p><p>Cleopatra</p><p>Hoverfly</p><p>Please, if you suggested one to me and I did not choose it, it is not that I do not value your opinion, it is that these were the ones that most caught my attention.</p><p>Please help me choose one for our kitty.</p><p>I think that would be it and as I said, I will be uploading chapter Friday and Saturday, 2 per week, from here until the end of the year.</p><p>And I'm going to update the spinoffs when I have time, I'm going to focus on this story.</p><p>That's it.</p><p>Thanks for reading and commenting.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Coffee and conversations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Damian was having a good day, so he was almost expecting that the Joker would appear out of nowhere.</p><p>No, he wasn't being dramatic, he was being realistic.</p><p>He had managed to find Marinette in the first place he looked for her, that was quite lucky.</p><p>It took him less than 15 minutes of conversation as they helped out at the shelter, to realize that the girl he had met the night before as Robin was not a facade, the girl was genuinely intelligent and caring.</p><p>Seeing her get along with Felix, a generally grumpy dog, had shown him that she was indeed a trustworthy person.  After all, animals usually are excellent judges of character.</p><p>Besides, the way she had handled Helena had seemed smart to him.</p><p>Helena was a little naive and fanciful girl, but she was not stupid.  The last time someone had tried to be condescending with her, hoping to get closer to the family, she had demanded proof, not receiving it she had just given her a serious look and crossed her arms while shaking her head saying "I don't  like liars, neither do my daddy and my brothers. "  Then she had left, leaving the woman who had tried to approach Todd using the girl's sympathy speechless.</p><p>Damian had been thinking about how to get a conversation with the girl without Maxwell's suggestive looks and Gibson's criticism.</p><p>'Uff, these things don't aren't to jeavy, but how tiring!" Maxwell complained.</p><p>"You should probably have stayed at the reception, you're not in shape Joe," Gibson pointed out.</p><p>"Rude!"</p><p>"Honest" Gibson replied "look at Marinette and the Wayne boy, they are not even sweating."</p><p>Damian then noticed that, indeed, Marinette did not look particularly tired.</p><p>"True!  How come you're not tired Marinette?" Maxwell asked confused "we're done and you're fresh as lettuce."</p><p>"Hey!  Not because I'm small means that I can't do hard work" she answered with a smile "besides, my family owns a bakery, I have been helping them for years."</p><p>"Makes sense" said Gibson in a dry tone "Honestly, I thought it had to do with your work in Paris, Marla says that you are in the rescue group of the foundation, how is it?"</p><p>Marinette thought for a few seconds before smiling and answering.</p><p>"Satisfactory" she said while her gaze seemed thoughtful "I like to know that we are giving a chance to some abandoned animal to get a family"</p><p>And Damian could hear the honesty and pride in Marinette's voice.  He respected that.</p><p>Some people mistake pride for arrogance, but they are not the same.  You can be proud of your work and not be a complete jerk about it.  Damian admitted that he was not the best example in this regard, but the point stood.</p><p>After a few minutes, and with the new cargo already arranged, Damien was also in a bind.  He was still curious about Marinette, he wanted to know if she was really the civilian contact for the so-called "Miraculous Team", or if there was something else.</p><p>The way Marinette and her friends had fought was too natural to be something they didn't use often.</p><p>"Well, we're done here," said Gibson. "How many shipments are left?"</p><p>"According to Chloe, there are only 3 more shipments left and we are done" Marinette answered, checking her phone.</p><p>After finishing, Marinette and Damian went to the patio to look for Helena, who was petting the cat that the Parisian girl had rescued the night before.</p><p>"Miss Marinette, what is the name of the kitten?"  Helena asked when she saw Marinette and her brother approaching.</p><p>"I don't know, technically if the adoption goes smoothly, the kitten would be Chloe's."</p><p>"Who is Chloe?  Why isn't the kitten yours?  Do you dislike cats?"</p><p>"Helena, you're being rude."</p><p>"Nope, I'm asking."</p><p>"Helena!"</p><p>Marinette's giggle interrupted the discussion between the pair of siblings.</p><p>"Ok, you see Helena, my parents owns a bakery and that's why I can't adopt the kitten, but I can assure you that Chloe will take good care of her, and Chloe is one of my best friends.  Ah!  And just call me Marinette, only Jean calls me "Miss Marinette", and honestly I find it very formal."</p><p>Helena stared at her for a few seconds before nodding.  Then she turned to see Damian.</p><p>"I want waffles, Damian. Can we go get waffles?  Can Marinette come?  Please." She said as she looked at her brother using the baby doll eyes again.</p><p>"I don't know, would you join us, Miss Dupain-Cheng?" He said as he extended his hand towards her.</p><p>Damian Wayne is not someone who is easy to manipulate, he was definitely not giving in to the adorable manipulations of his little sister, no, the reason he had invited Marinette was because he wanted to satisfy his curiosity about the Parisian girl.  Nope, he was not giving in to the will of Princess Wayne.</p><p>Marinette smiled a little nervous, she was about to refuse, but Damian's chivalrous attitude made it difficult, also, together with Helena's baby doll eyes, they formed a deadly combo.</p><p>"Well I ..."</p><p>At that moment, her cell phone alerted her to a message from Chloe.</p><p>"Would you mind?"</p><p>"Go ahead."</p><p>She proceeded to open the message from Chloe.</p><p>"Maribug, I'm in the cafe in front of the shelter, can you come over?"</p><p>"My friend is waiting for me in the cafe across the street," she said as she watched the siblings.</p><p>"They sell some very good waffles there!" Helena mentioned excitedly "Can we accompany you Marinette?  Please."</p><p>Marinette thought that she had already outgrown the baby doll eyes, after Manon she thought that she would no longer fall.</p><p>She fell.</p><p>After a few minutes, Marinette headed for the cafeteria in front of the shelter with the duo of brothers.  Chloe told her that the table was big enough to seat the four of them, the traitor.</p><p>Sighing, Marinette looked for Chloe, it didn't take long before she located the blonde, who had a tablet in her hands while still talking on the phone.  Seeing her, Chloe raised her hand for Marinette to see.  Marinette proceeded to guide Damien and Helena to the table after they ordered from the cafeteria counter.</p><p>As she got closer, Marinette could hear Chloe, who was apparently finishing fixing the situation with the deliveries to the shelter, and knew that the girl was in "empress mode".</p><p>"No, I don't think so" said the blonde to whoever was on the line with her, with a cold voice and with an air of royalty " After all, I'm paying for immediate delivery, do you need a dictionary to understand what?  "immediate" means?"</p><p>Ugh, that sounded difficult.  Marinette touched the blonde's arm and said softly "be nice."</p><p>Chloe met her eyes and sighed.</p><p>"I understand that this is not your fault, but this delivery is urgent, that's why I agreed to pay extra. Is there any way that I can communicate with the person who will deliver the shipment? ... of course, I can wait ...  Thanks a lot."</p><p>Hanging up the phone Chloe took a sip of her pearl tea and then smiled at those present.</p><p>"I told you I would be back in time, fairy godmother.  And look, I didn't turn into a pumpkin."</p><p>"Chloe," Marinette said in an annoyed tone, which the blonde just smiled as she stuck her tongue out at her.</p><p>"Now, don't be angry, instead, tell me who are our companions?"</p><p>"I'm sorry" he told the siblings "this is my friend Chloe, they are Damian and Helena.  We met in the shelter."</p><p>"I see, Where did you leave my little girl?"</p><p>"I left her with one of the volunteers, don't worry."</p><p>"Well" the blonde then turned to see the brothers "it's a pleasure to meet you."</p><p>"Likewise" Damian answered politely, but without smiling.</p><p>"Are you having problems with the deliveries of the beds?" Marinette asked, to which the blonde frowned.</p><p>"Not exactly, I explained the situation to Mommy and she was able to contact me with the owner of this company that specializes in things for pets, "Go pet", so it was easy to get the beds, but delivery is another matter."</p><p>" I'm glad you got them to collaborate with you."</p><p>"It wasn't so difficult, they are afraid of my mom, I don't blame them, even though she is the "queen of style", mommy knows enough people to ruin anyone's career”</p><p>"Chloe ..."</p><p>"I swear I use my powers only for good, Maribug."</p><p>"Miss, can I ask a question?" Helena asked with shiny eyes, and Damian knew that her sweet little sister was going to go out with another of her nonsense.</p><p>"Sure little one, shoot."</p><p>*Are you a princess?"</p><p>The three teenagers stared at the girl, while Damian just shook her head.</p><p>"I'm sorry, what?"</p><p>"You said that your mother is a queen, besides you are very pretty."</p><p>Chloe stared at him for a few seconds before asking Marinette.</p><p>"Can keep her?"</p><p>"Chloe!"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You're talking about a little girl, not a doll!"</p><p>"I already know it!  She is the most adorable little person I have ever met!"</p><p>"I'm sorry to inform you that if I don't bring my sister home, my father is going to hang  me, so I can't give her to you, Miss Chloe."</p><p>"Too bad, she's adorable."</p><p>"Thank you, so Are you a princess?"</p><p>"That depends on what you think it means to be a princess" said the girl while she ate a cookie "if you talk about a classic Disney princess, no, I am not.<br/>But if you're talking about someone who's going to become a leader one day, that's me.  I'm not going to use the title of a princess when I can say empress-in-training.  Someday I'm going to run my own fashion and show business empire, after all, Maribug supports me on that, right?"</p><p>Damian admitted that he was surprised at the young blonde's conviction.  Helena was impressed and Marinette looked proud of her friend.</p><p>"You seem very confident in your goal," Damian commented.</p><p>Before Chloe answered her, Marinette beat her to it.</p><p>"Confidence and hard work go hand in hand, Chloe tries harder than anyone in our class."</p><p>"Debatable, Maribug" mentioned the blonde sample asked for a slice of cake "our class is full of ignoramus and you try very hard too.  Between your studies, your designs, your work as a volunteer at the foundation, "La Maison des miracles", do you want me to continue?"</p><p>With each word from the blonde, Marinette was taking on a new shade of red, which Damian found fascinating.</p><p>"What is "the Mason of the miracles"?  Helena asked curiously."</p><p>"It's "La Maison des miracles", cutie, and it's ... well ..."</p><p>The blonde turned to see Marinette, almost confirming how much she could share.  Interesting.</p><p>"Well you see, similar to how there are villains here in Gotham City, in Paris, we have something called Akumas, so "La Maison des miracles" is a place for victims to receive help."</p><p>Helena got a serious expression, unfortunately, she knew about the crime problem in Gotham City, even though everyone in the family had tried to protect her from the truth, she knew that the world was cruel.</p><p>The world was cruel enough that a three-year-old girl already knew about the crime that plagued her hometown</p><p>And Damian hated it.</p><p>At that moment, the waiter brought the orders of the newcomers and Chloe took the opportunity to order a chamomile and honey tea.</p><p>"Ok, changing the subject. What time does the shelter close?"  Chloe asked as she looked towards the shelter. "I got everything ready to be delivered, but I'm going to have to find someone to finish delivering the last shipments. It's going to take time and we have to get back to the hotel in about an hour and a half."</p><p>*Maybe I can help."</p><p>The moment Damian spoke, 3 pairs of blue eyes locked onto him.</p><p>Chloe Bourgeois with a tinge of suspicion.</p><p>Helena's with confusion at her brother's offer.</p><p>And those of Marinette with gratitude</p><p>"How can you help?" Chloe asked with a bit of distrust, not that Damian didn't understand, it was a natural reaction.</p><p>"If it is a delivery service, I can arrange for everything to be delivered today.  Let's say I know the right people for the job."</p><p>"Is it legal?  Otherwise, I am very sorry to inform you that any collaboration will be impossible."</p><p>The young Wayne did not hide his astonishment at Miss Bourgeois's audacity.  The girl had guts.</p><p>"You can check it yourself." She replied, handing her a card "tell them that Damian Wayne authorized you to use their services."</p><p>Damian watched the recognition in Chloe's eyes, but she didn't seem particularly shocked.  Helena had already revealed his identity to Marinette before, so there should be no problem.</p><p>When he turned to see the Parisian, he noticed that she looked confused.  Hadn't she connected the dots yet?</p><p>For some reason that made him feel ... good.</p><p>It was nice to know that Marinette's kindness was not conditioned by his social status.</p><p>Chloe left to speak and the two teenagers and the toddler stayed at the table.</p><p>"I'm sorry about that" Marinette's voice broke the silence created by the blonde "Chloe can be a bit intense, I'm sure she didn't mean to imply anything bad."</p><p>"We are in Gotham City, your concern is more than justified and is in fact commendable" Damian commented "however, I'm a bit curious.  You two are very different, but you seem to be good friends.  I wonder how you got along."</p><p>"Let me ask you a question Damian, Are all your friends the same as you?"</p><p>Damian raised an eyebrow, that was not the answer he expected.  Chloe clearly distrusted him, but Marinette had shown a more open attitude towards him.  However, the girl was not stupid.  That was something he had bought the night before and she was showing it to him again.</p><p>Not only had she deflected the question without giving any information, but she had also put him in a situation where he had to answer.</p><p>With just one question she had made the rules clear.  She was willing to share as much as he was.</p><p>"I must admit that it is true, my closest friends are different, very different than me." He admitted looking at Marinette in the eyes.</p><p>"It makes sense, generally, in a group of friends, there's no two people exactly alike" she said with a smile "in my case, Chloe may be conceited, but she has a heart of gold."</p><p>"I see, although that doesn't explain how you two became friends."</p><p>"With all due respect Damian, I just met you, I don't feel comfortable sharing that kind of stories with you" Damian was about to apologize because even he understood that he had gone too far, when Marinette's voice interrupted him "at least, not yet."</p><p>"I beg you, pardon?"</p><p>"I like you, Damian" she said leaving the boy and his sister speechless "You seem surprised."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Well, Johana told me a little about you." Damian tensed a bit, Maxwell was extremely unpredictable "She said that when Felix arrived at the shelter, he refused to eat and growled at everyone who approached.  You were the exception, he let you approach him and caress him, besides, she told me that you stayed that night there to make sure he was okay.  She also says that you came to see him before and after school to make sure he ate.  And you helped him accept the help of the other shelter volunteers.  I have to say, you blew me away.  So I was curious to meet you.  You are a little different from how I imagined you."</p><p>"Disappointed?"  Damien asked half-jokingly, and for some reason, eager for the answer.</p><p>"No, just surprised" Marinette answered honestly "I imagined you bigger.  No wait, that's not the word.  Older, I imagined you older than me.  Johana said you were someone super mature, I imagine thought you were a university student at least.  Not that I believe that maturity is competition associated with age, I know an 8-year-old girl who is more mature than most of my classmates.  I think you're someone awesome Damian."</p><p>Damian was a bit surprised.  It wasn't the first time someone had told her that he didn't act his age.  Many times Grayson said that he behaved like a bitter old man, Selina said that he was born with an old soul and Todd said that Talia had sucked his youth.</p><p>But the way Marinette said it, well now he understood why Lucy insisted on "it's not what you say, it's how you say it."</p><p>"I'll only be in Gotham City for a month and a half, but I would like to make friends and I like you."</p><p>"The feeling is mutual, Miss Marinette.  It would be a pleasure to meet you" answered young Wayne in a gentlemanly way.</p><p>Later, when Chloe returned, she found Marinette and Damien in a kind of question and answer game, while little Helena watched them with bright eyes.</p><p>"What is your favorite color?  Mine is pink."</p><p>"Green, do you have any pets?  I have 5."</p><p>"Wow, I don't have any pets because my parents have a bakery, but  I would like to have one, ok, next question, how many siblings do you have?  I am an only child."</p><p>"Legally, 3 brothers and 2 sisters, do you practice any sports?  In my case, I practice fencing and martial arts."</p><p>"Nothing formal, my mother taught me a bit of her family's fighting style and Kagami has given me a couple of fencing lessons.  I tried gymnastics, but didn't have enough time, so I quit.  What do you want to do?  I will be a designer."</p><p>" I would like to continue in the family business ..."</p><p>The conversation continued for what seemed like an eternity to the young blonde, but she didn't want to break the bubble that Marinette and Damian had.  She knew Marinette was the kind of person who could make friends anywhere, plus the boy, Damian Wayne, and yes, Chloe knew who he was, he seemed decent.</p><p>In any case, she already had material to tease Marinette for a while, that sweet smile in Marinette lips and Damian Wayne's half-smile were sooo interesting.</p><p>Therefore, Chloe was annoyed at having to break the fantasy environment around her friend and the Wayne boy, but at that moment she saw a red car peek out and knew they had to go, or else Kagami was going to interrogate the boy, and Chloe didn't want to lose her new source of entertainment.</p><p>"It seems that the roles have reversed, I'm sorry Marinette, but we have to go now unless you want the stepmother ..."</p><p>"Chloe!  What did I tell you about that comparison?" Marinette scolded her to which the aforementioned blonde had the nerve to laugh.</p><p>"OK but don't get mad!" She said with a smile, then turned to see Damian "Can I ask you a favor?"</p><p>"You can ask, but until I hear what you want, I can't promise my help."</p><p>"Whoops!  You are not funny!" Chloe said pouting "Anyway, make sure the person who stays has to send me or Marinette a message with their full name to secure the order, here." Chloe asked/ordered, then added with a mischievous smile "unless you and Maribug have already exchanged numbers."</p><p>It was very funny and satisfying for Chloe to see how they both got nervous, Marinette blushed like a cherry and Damian pretended to cough.</p><p>After a awkward interaction between the two teenagers, which mostly consisted of both of them speaking at the same time and looking at the floor, the girls said goodbye to the pair of brothers as they went to Katsu, not before rushing in to the shelter to pick up the kitten.</p><p>As they were on the way back to the hotel, Kagami talked about her training, while Chloe just thought about how much fun awaited her if she kept an eye on her friend and the Wayne boy.</p><p>"This is going to be so much fun" thought the blonde with a mischievous smile, while Pollen, her beloved Kwami, just hoped that whatever his chosen had found amusing,  didn't get her in trouble.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ok, here is the chapter.</p><p>What do you think of the interaction between Marinette and Damian?</p><p>I know that I promised two weekly chapters until the end of the year, but things happen.</p><p>To be specific, my uncle had an accident in my car, thank God he's fine, but my car isn't.</p><p>So to fix it I'm going to have to work overtime, I'm going to do my best to meet my goal of 2 caps.  per week.  But they will arrive when they can.</p><p>OK, putting that aside, thank you for commenting on the kitten's name.</p><p>The three finalists are.</p><p>Abelia (a flower that bees like)</p><p>Duchess</p><p>Cleopatra</p><p>Tell me which one you prefer.</p><p>Any comments or questions, let me know.</p><p>With love and many kisses, I say goodbye.</p><p>Bye</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. His family and friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Damian Wayne was not an ordinary teenage boy, he was Batman's son and Ras al Gul's grandson, he had been raised as an assassin, then, by joining his father's family, had acquired a new identity as a vigilante.</p><p>He had never been a normal teenager and his friends and family knew it. Damian wasn't a boy like the other kids his age, he wouldn't let himself be controlled by his hormones and ultimately he wasn't a cheesy guy.</p><p>Then why couldn't he get Marinette Dupain-Cheng out of his head?</p><p>Part of him could not help thinking about the angelic appearance of the young Parisian girl, how her hair reflected sunlight, how her blue eyes shone with kindness and determination, how her voice was soft and kind, but with a slight tone of sadness when she expressed her desire to make friends.</p><p>On the other hand, the Damian who had been educated to think with his head, could not help but rejoice at the pleasant conversation with the young Parisian girl. The two of them were very different, but that didn't make it uncomfortable. Marinette had achieved in a few minutes what it took his family years to accomplish, to make him feel comfortable sharing information.</p><p>The conversation with Marinette had been... Nice. He had not felt any pressure to share information and Marinette seemed to notice which topics he preferred to avoid and took them into account.</p><p>Overall, Damian was confused.</p><p>From the moment he and Helena had returned from the shelter, the pigtails girl refused to get out of not his mind.</p><p>He stared at the ceiling of his room for a few minutes, before realizing he was not going anywhere.</p><p>So he decided to ask for the advice of the only person he knew would not make fun (not much, at least) of him. Taking his cell phone, he started a conversation with Lucy.</p><p>DW: Are you busy?</p><p>LQ: not much, what happened?</p><p>DW: I would like to thank you for your suggestion, your insight was correct and very useful.</p><p>LQ: OMG! You found her!!!!! 😄😄😄😄</p><p>DW: Your punctuation is incorrect, too many exclamation points, and emojis are unnecessary. Anyway, I certainly found her and had a conversation with her.</p><p>LQ: Please tell me you didn't interrogate her. You're going to scare her!!!😱😱😱😱</p><p>DW: Why do you always assume the worst of me? For your information, it was a conversation, not an interrogation.</p><p>LQ: because we know you but don't worry we still love you</p><p>DW: The punctuation, now you are missing the comma.</p><p>LQ: you're not funny 😝😝😝😝😝</p><p>DW: That's what everyone says. Anyway, I'd like to have your opinion on my conversation with Miss Dupain-Cheng.</p><p>No, he wasn't going to tell Lucy Quinzel that he called Marinette by her first name, even if it was only on his mind.</p><p>LQ: Sure! Tell me everything! Did you find out more about the situation in Paris?</p><p>When he read that message, Damian froze. Certainly, his original goal to approach Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been to learn more about the so-called Akumas, but he had forgotten about it.</p><p>Honestly, the conversation with Marinette had been so entertaining that he had forgotten his initial purpose, completely.</p><p>But he couldn't let Lucy know. She wouldn't leave him alone! Never!</p><p>After thinking about how to guide the conversation with Lucy out off dangerous ground for his dignity, Damian noticed a small detail.</p><p>He had left the chat screen open and had not replied to Lucy.</p><p>Great.</p><p>LQ: Hello?</p><p>LQ: Damian?</p><p>LQ: are u there?</p><p>LQ: I saw u read my messages</p><p>LQ: Don't play dumb!!😡😡</p><p>LQ: Answer me, brat!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬</p><p>Damian took a deep breath before answered to the girl.</p><p>DW: I apologize for not answering earlier, I was thinking about what information I can share with you.</p><p>Yep, Damian was willing to lie to his friend and colleague as long as he wasn't ridiculed.</p><p>LQ: ...</p><p>LQ: Why? 🤨</p><p>DW: Why, what?</p><p>LQ: Why are you taking so long to think about your answer?</p><p>DW: I'm just thinking about how to express it better.</p><p>LQ: I know you Wayne</p><p>LQ: You wouldn't have started this conversation if you didn't know what to say</p><p>LQ: it's not your style</p><p>LQ: unless your initial purpose was not to talk about the situation in Paris.</p><p>Hell no.</p><p>Don't go there.</p><p>LQ: unless something else "distracted" you.</p><p>Hell no.</p><p>What could he tell Lucy Quinzel to make her forget about the topic? The girl was the daughter of a great psychiatrist (before being traumatized and used by fucking Joker). Lucy had inherited her mother's intelligence and devoted much of her time to learning about the mind.</p><p>Simply put, Damian was fucked.</p><p>To make matters worse, Lucy was probably the fastest person when it came to texting, so she didn't give the young heir enough time to think about how to answer her.</p><p>On second thought, that was probably Lucy's purpose, bombarding the other person with questions so they wouldn't have time to find a credible excuse.</p><p>Within the few minutes that had taken Damian to process that thought, Lucy had already attacked their chat again.</p><p>LQ: Damian Wayne. What happened?</p><p>LQ: If you don't answer me to the count of 3 I'll go to your house and I'll take the answer out of you if necessary.</p><p>LQ: 1</p><p>LQ: 2</p><p>LQ: 2 ½</p><p>LQ: 2 ¾</p><p>LQ: Fuck it! I'll be at the manor in half an hour!!!</p><p>LQ: make sure to have cookies!!!!</p><p>Damian saw his smartphone screen trying to understand what had happened. Honestly, Lucy was very smart and a great adviser, but she was still her mother's daughter. Being friends with Harley Quinn's daughter, chaos was guaranteed.</p><p>Meanwhile, somewhere else at Wayne Manor.</p><p>Helena Wayne was a very intelligent child for her age.</p><p>She had to be.</p><p>She was Batman's daughter and mature enough to keep it a secret. She knew the secret identities of all her family members and knew that even though her dad was Batman himself, Grandpa Alfred was the most powerful person in the house because everyone listened to him.</p><p>Helena knew a lot of things.</p><p>Therefore, she knew that the fairy lady she had met that day with her brother was helping Princess Chloe. She said she would inherit and enlarge her mother's empire, for Helena that means the girl was a princess.</p><p>So Helena's little mind was looking for ways to ask Fairy Lady to give her a little time and magic to help Mar'i.</p><p>Mar'i had been crying again, Helena knew, but her dear niece (and yes, Helena loved to remind Mar'i that she was her aunt despite being younger) was kinda silly. She refused to seek the help of her family at all. And to top it all off, she was smart, she only cried when her mom wasn't in town and her dad, Dick, was busy with some family problem.</p><p>Both requirements were together that day.</p><p>Kori had left the planet on a mission and Dick was in the Batcave since morning, leaving only for lunch with his daughter and the rest of the family.</p><p>To top it all off, although Helena knew that Mar'i had been crying, she couldn't say anything. She promised Mar'i! She promised for her pinky finger!</p><p>The little princess Wayne sighed. Why was so hard to help someone who was afraid to ask for help? Why didn't Mar'i want to ask for help?</p><p>Sometimes being a little girl was complicated. She was too young to know what to do to make Mar'i feel better, all she could do was hug her. Helena was used to it, if something made her sad, she just had to seek the help of her family and that was it... but Mar'i refused to seek help.</p><p>It wasn't fair.</p><p>Without knowing what to do, Helena went to the Batcave to see her siblings, perhaps she could find a way to help Mar'i without making it too obvious to Timmy. As she approached, she could hear her brothers and sisters arguing, as usual.</p><p>"You're dumber than I thought, Dick! "She heard Jason's voice in a mocking tone "And you support him, replacement?"</p><p>"It's not being dumb, it's having faith! " claimed Dick, offended by Jason's words "Damian deserves to be happy!"</p><p>"At the cost of the poor girl? That's very selfish of you, Dick."</p><p>"Barbara, we're not planning on drugging Miss Dupain-Cheng to put her on a date with Damian, we're just betting on her behalf."</p><p>Dupain-Cheng? That was Fairy Lady's last name!</p><p>"Come on! Have you looked at that girl's file yet?" Duke pointed out in disbelief, "She's totally out of his league!"</p><p>"Damian is not as bad as when we first met him," Stephanie noted, receiving incredulous glances from everyone there "What?"</p><p>"It's not like it could be worse. The demon spawn was a piece of shit from the beginning" Jason said with a sarcastic smile, then added mockingly, looking at Stephanie "You just say that because your boyfriend's already gone to the losing side."</p><p>"And you're an idiot!" Claimed Stephanie with an irritated expression.</p><p>Helena was surprised to look inside and see Marinette's picture on the computer screen, so she understood that her brothers were arguing about Fairy Lady and Damian dating.</p><p>Which put Helena's little mind to work.</p><p>If Damian and Marinette dated, it's because they were in love.</p><p>If Damian and Marinette were in love, then they'll get married.</p><p>If they got married, Marinette was going to become her sister.</p><p>If Marinette became her sister, then Mar'i was going to become Marinette's niece too.</p><p>If Mar'i became Fairy Lady's niece, then Marinette would realize something bad was wrong with her, because fairies are magical and always know.</p><p>Besides, Damian deserved to be loved by someone special.</p><p>He had helped Helena put a poor pregnant kitten in the house and convinced her daddy to keep her and her kittens.</p><p>Damian was a great older brother. He deserved to be happy, and in the stories, happy endings always end in a big, beautiful wedding.</p><p>Of course!</p><p>Now Helena just had to find a way to help Damian and Marinette end up together.</p><p>Besides, Helena knew her family, if her siblings (and Aunt Kate too) had already started betting, it was not long before they started meddling.</p><p>And Helena wanted to play too.</p><p>"Whatcha doing?" The infant asked in a sweet voice.</p><p>As a result, Jason shouted a course, Tim turned to see her with a funny expression while Stephanie caught the cup of coffee the boy let go, Dick jumped out of his chair and Duke fell from his chair, Kate almost choked on a cupcake and Cassandra looked at her with a calm smile.</p><p>Yes, that was his beloved family.</p><p>"Hobbit, When did you learn to be so quiet?" Jason asked him with a smile as he stirred his hair.</p><p>"I'm not a hobbit, I'm small," she replied with a pout.</p><p>"Whatever you say "hobbit."</p><p>"Dick, Jason is bothering me," complained the girl running next to the eldest of her siblings, who welcomed her with open arms.</p><p>"Jason, stop bothering Helena, she's only 3 years old"</p><p>"Almost 4" said the little girl.</p><p>"Almost 4."</p><p>"I get it," Jason said as he raised his hands, "you can't stand anything "hobbit"</p><p>Helena pouted but decided to focus on why she had entered the cave in the first place: getting help for Damian and Marinette to end up together.</p><p>"You didn't answer me, what are you doing?</p><p>"Nothing important, Helena," Timmy replied with a smile, "right, guys?"</p><p>To which everyone present rushed to nod trying to distract the child.</p><p>Almost all of them...</p><p>"We were betting on the romantic life of demon spawn. "Seeing the look of the rest, Jason just shrugged  "What? She was going to end up realizing it, Dick's weak and he'd have confessed anyway."</p><p>"It's not true!</p><p>"I'm sorry, Dick, you are."</p><p>"Barbara! That's treason!"</p><p>"No, it's honesty."</p><p>Helena let out a giggle at her brothers' antics.</p><p>"I want too," she said in a lovely tone.</p><p>"What do you want midge?"</p><p>"Jason, don't bother her," Aunt Kate, "What do you want, little girl?"</p><p>"I want to bet too!"</p><p>At the little girl's statement, everyone was silent.</p><p>"I don't think it's a good idea, Helena," Duke said, trying not to sound condescending to the little girl, he knew the consequences "you even know what we're betting on?"</p><p>"About Damian! Jason said that!"</p><p>"Okay, at least we know this is Jason's fault."</p><p>"Shut up, replacement!</p><p>Helena let out a giggle, these kinds of arguments between her brothers were quite funny.</p><p>"Do you even have the money to bet, shortstop?"</p><p>"Jason! " all of them screamed indignantly, except Cassandra, she sent Jason a death glare </p><p>"What? If she doesn't have any money, she can't  bet!"</p><p>Apparently, the rest of the family understood that Jason was trying to discourage the girl, who pouted and ran away.</p><p>"Wow! I didn't think it would be that easy!"</p><p>Within a few minutes, Helena returned with her piggy bank and the entire family understood that they should not underestimate a child's stubbornness.</p><p>The girl approached her Aunt Kate and extended her lace.</p><p>"Would you help me, please?"</p><p>"Honey, you don't have to do this."</p><p>"I want to! Please?"</p><p>Kate sighed and took the piggy bank, starting to count the money. She hoped to find a few coins and perhaps some buttons or candy, then she remembered that the girl in front of her, no matter how innocent she looked, was Helena Wayne, Batman's and Catwoman's daughter.</p><p>The girl had almost $100 saved. When Kate was 12, she barely saved half of that before she spent it.</p><p>"You got $96.57," he said with a neutral face, "How?</p><p>"Daddy gave me money last Christmas and for my birthday."</p><p>To which everyone present sighed, of course, it was Bruce who would give his 3-year-old daughter money instead of gifts. No, wait, he gave her a dollhouse on her last birthday. Then?</p><p>"Why?" Cassandra asked, and if Cassandra was interested imagine the rest of the family.</p><p>"Daddy couldn't throw me a party, so we went to ice cream and he gave me money to go whenever I wanted."</p><p>"But I've seen you go for ice cream several times," Tim said</p><p>"Yes, but since I always go with someone else, I don't spend my money. Daddy always ends up paying for my ice cream."</p><p>"It makes sense, anyway, you still can't bet Munchkin," Jason told, to which Helena pouted "Don't make that face of me, you're too small to get bad habits from us. Wait a little longer and I'll show you a couple of fun things."</p><p>"JASON!!"</p><p>"What?!, I said no yet," Jason said as he raised his hands "anyway, you still can't."</p><p>"Yes, I can."</p><p>"No, you can't.</p><p>Helena pouted, but none of her siblings were going to give in, so after thinking for a moment, she smiled much like her mother's smiles.</p><p>"Ok," she said, taking his piggy bank from Kate's hands and heading to the door, leaving those present confused, but before she left she turn to them and added, "I will tell Grandpa Alfred that you are betting on Damian."</p><p>To which all present turned pale.</p><p>"Helena, calm down a little bit" Dick tried to negotiate with the little girl "you don't have to get Alfred into this..."</p><p>"Don't be a snitch, dwarf!" Jason interrupted to which Helena stuck her tongue out and kept walking towards the door.</p><p>"Jason!"</p><p>"What did I do this time?"</p><p>"If you let me play... I mean bet with you I don't say anything."</p><p>Everyone was silent, on the one hand, leaving Helena to gamble was wrong on so many levels, on the other hand, Alfred... Besides, it seems like Helena felt a little excluded, maybe that was it...</p><p>Who were they trying to fool? They were afraid of Alfred.</p><p>"You win Helena," Tim said, scratching his head, "What are you betting on?"</p><p>"Let Damian and Lady Fairy end up together!"</p><p>"And who the hell is Lady Fairy?" Jason asked.</p><p>"She is Lady Fairy," she said, pointing to the screen where a picture of Marinette was," she is as pretty as a fairy."</p><p>"How do you know what a fairy looks like?" asked Stephanie smiling.</p><p>"Like her," the girl replied simply, to which Stephanie let out a giggle.</p><p>"All right, we'll let you participate, but don't cry when you lose your money," Jason told her in a mocking tone.</p><p>"I'm not going to cry because I'm not going to lose! "The girl said resolutely, "Damian is a nice boy, a great older brother, and has a prince's face!"</p><p>"Prince from hell maybe," Duke said, earning a pout from the girl.</p><p>"Lady Fairy is going to be able to see how good a Damian is!_ The little girl exclaimed very convincedly.</p><p>"Aha! I'm not the only one who sees Damian as a good boy!" cried Dick happily, as everyone else laughed at Dick's attitude or complained of his excessive optimism.</p><p>This was Helena's family, the kind of family that gambled, and most likely spyed, on the loving relationships of family members.</p><p>And Helena loved them.</p><p>Meanwhile...</p><p>Damian Wayne wasn't someone you could easily intimidate.</p><p>He had been raised by assassins, grown up with the dark knight, and had faced villains with enough skills to kill someone in a blink.</p><p>Then...</p><p>Why was Lucy Quinzel, with her arms crossed and frowning in front of him making him nervous?</p><p>He could beat Lucy with ease, even though Lucy was extremely athletic and flexible, Damian was stronger, more agile, and more experienced than her.</p><p>But it was the blonde girl's mind that worried Damian.</p><p>Lucy was smart.</p><p>And that was falling short.</p><p>By the time she had become his friend and partner in fighting crime, Damian had noticed how Lucy was a genius in interrogations for her ability to play with people's minds.</p><p>And he knew Lucy's look when she was aiming to get information from someone.</p><p>Yep, he was completely fucked.</p><p>"So, Damian," she said calmly, "Do you want to share with me what happened?</p><p>"I don't know what you're talking about.</p><p>"Oh, Damian! That's so cute! You think you can fool me! " she said in a cheerful tone and then add plainly, "you can't."</p><p>"Tt"</p><p>"Wow! I haven't heard your "tt" in a long time! "She said, clearly amused, then added in a kind tone "Damian, I didn't come here to question you, I came because I thought you'd be confused."</p><p>"Why? Damian asked with confusion.</p><p>"Well, clearly your conversation with Miss Dupain-Cheng was pleasant, and you, my dear friend, are not used to purely pleasant interactions," she said with a friendly smile "the way you became our friend was unconventional."</p><p>Understatement of the year.</p><p>"Damian, if you're confused and want to talk, talk to me, if you don't want to, let's go to the cave, I really want to spar."</p><p>The two were silent for a few minutes, but that was fine for Lucy. Damian was one of her dear friends, she would help him with what she could, including with his almost non-existent social skills.</p><p>When she had discovered who her biological parents were, it had been a great shock.</p><p>Her aunt was not his aunt, she was her mother, and her father was one of Gotham City's worst villains. After understanding the fact that her biological parents were really messed up, Lucy had decided to reconnect with her mother, she understood that she wanted her as far away from her father as possible, but Lucy didn't care.</p><p>Part of her had been angry with her mother for lying to her, another part of her understood that she wanted to protect her, part of her wanted to help her mother recover and another part of her thought it was unfair, that wasn't her fault. There was a part of her that wanted her father as far away from her mother as possible and another part of her wanted to fix him.</p><p>The logical part of her  knew that was impossible, for someone to change, this person must want to change for themselves, but the most emotional part of herself, she wanted a "normal family."</p><p>Damian and Jon had been there for her when her mind was a tornado of confusion.</p><p>The three of them had created Zinger, her alter ego to fight crime, more importantly, to help Lucy with her existential dilemmas.</p><p>It had taken her a while to understand that she already had a family and that the concept of normality was overrated.</p><p>She loved her mother, who still under the influence of his father had sought the best for his daughter. She loved her Aunt Pam, who had taught Lucy that a beautiful and intelligent woman can also be lethal, and loved how her mother and aunt Pam loved each other. She loved little Manny, Aunt Pam's and Uncle Charlie's little son, before he left her so she and her mother could be together. Geez, her family was a piece of art.</p><p>Anyway, during all that madness, Lucy had two great pillars, Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent. Then Mia and Collin had joined the group, and although Lucy loved them all, she would always have a special place in her heart for Damian and Jon.</p><p>For this very reason, noticing in Damian's messages how confused he was, she had run beside him. Right now, seeing him twist uncomfortable, she wanted to punch Talía. After all, it was her fault that Damian couldn't socialize with other people. Bruce had tried to help his son, but the man didn't know what he was doing.</p><p>Damian was able to socialize with his friends, but he had only gotten those friends because everyone shared their interest in fighting crime.</p><p>Mia had been her most "normal" interaction. And they had been magically stuck by their hands during their first encounter</p><p>"I'm not afraid," Damian murmured.</p><p>Lucy looked at him confused for a few seconds until reality hit her. Damian never wanted to look weak, but it was especially important for him not to appear weak in front of his team members. Especially after Talía had managed to hurt Jon.</p><p>"I don't think you're weak," she assured him, then added, "plus I think a good leader seeks advice when he doesn't understand something."</p><p>Sighing, Damian began to recount his encounter with Marinette.</p><p>Lucy had to hold her laughter a couple of times when she heard how Helena had put her brother in trouble. That girl was special!</p><p>When Damian finished his story, he looked up.</p><p>"I don't believe in that "love at first sight" nonsense, so if you're going to tell me..."</p><p>"You shouldn't believe that, love at first sight doesn't exist."</p><p>Damian blinked a couple of times when he heard the certainty in Lucy's voice.</p><p>"I figured you'd try to convince me about it.</p><p>Lucy let out a giggle.</p><p>"Just because I like romantic comedies doesn't mean I believe in them. Hollywood has a tendency to develop its stories at 'beginner level,' but real life is a perpetual 'expert level.'"</p><p>Damian gave half-smile mile before frowning.</p><p>"I don't get it," the frustrated boy said, and that was only enough to show Lucy how much he trusted her "Usually I don't be so open with strangers"</p><p>"Understatement of the century."</p><p>"Anyway," he told her glaring at her "I don't understand how our conversation flowed so naturally."</p><p>Lucy was silent for a few seconds before smiling.</p><p>"Love at first sight doesn't exist, love isn't that easy, it has to be cultivated so that it grows and develops naturally and healthily," she told her in a certain way, "that being said, there's something called chemistry, and I'm not talking about scientific chemistry here, which can make two people to sympathize with each with some ease."</p><p>"That sounds kind of cheesy," Damian replied skepticically, "Are you suggesting I have chemistry with Marinette?"</p><p>Lucy nodded as she hid her surprise. Damian had called her by her first name! Was the chemistry of those two so good that she had made Damian casually treat a girl she had known for just a few hours?</p><p>"Don't you think our common interests are too scarce to have this "chemistry"?"</p><p>Lucy smiled again and that little know-it-all smile was starting to annoy Damian.</p><p>"Let me give you an example, in your family the person who has things in common with you the most is Jason..."</p><p>"What the hell are you talking about?!" claimed the boy, completely outraged by the suggestion.</p><p>To which Lucy had the nerve to laugh!</p><p>"Let me put it this way, you both got training in the League of assassins, you both tend to be violent, you both know how much of a bitch your mother can be, no offense, and you both have some difficulty with your father's moral norms, am I wrong?"</p><p>Damian opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it. Technically speaking, Lucy was right.</p><p>"Now, even though you have quite a few things in common with Jason, he's not the person you get along with the best in your family," the girl said as she took a cookie "That position is shared by Dick and Alfred, and with them you have very few things in common."</p><p>"Pennyworth shouldn't count." The boy murmured, to which Lucy only nodded.</p><p>"You're right, Alfred doesn't count, he's in another league, but my point stays with Dick. The two of you have very different personalities, but he is the one you get along with the best." Lucy said with certainty as she watched Damian process the information, so she could see that the boy still had doubts "What do you think?"</p><p>"Your theory of chemistry doesn't make sense to me, the first time I met Grayson, I tried to kill him," he said with a slight tone of frustration in his voice, "With this girl I didn't even think about it."</p><p>"That's a relief, Dick was trained by your father, and as much as this girl knows how to fight to defend herself, I don't know if she would be able to keep up with you," Lucy joked, but noticing Damian's frowning she asked "What are you afraid of?"</p><p>"Excuse me? " asked the young Wayne immediately and then add with some indignation "I don't know what Quinn's talking about."</p><p>"Yes, you do."</p><p>"She's just a girl who might have useful information, and you said it yourself, she's unlikely to get in my way. Why would I be afraid of her?"</p><p>"I never said you were afraid of her."</p><p>"So, what are you trying to say?"</p><p>"I said you're afraid of something, you're being more cautious than usual, so Damian, what are you afraid of?"</p><p>Damian was silent for a few minutes, but Lucy waited, she knew this was difficult for Damian and she had an idea of where his doubts were coming from.</p><p>They had to take care of whatever was in Damian's mind, he had been especially irritable lately and his reactions to this new girl was interesting. As selfish as it will sound, Lucy was willing to do anything, including influencing Damian and Marinette's relationship, if that meant helping her friend.</p><p>She didn't want to take advantage of someone she didn't even know, but she would if that helped Damian.</p><p>And Damian had been particularly irritable since...</p><p>Oh no.</p><p>"Have I become weak?"</p><p>Damian's question startled Lucy.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"In the past, when someone new came on my radar, I always researched them before I started a conversation, if I thought it necessary to talk to that person at all. In fact, I have a complete file of each of you."</p><p>"Wait, what?"</p><p>"With her I only have the general knowledge that Drake found."</p><p>"That's quite enough."</p><p>"But still, I felt comfortable sharing my information with her," she said in frustration, "maybe I'm getting sloppy."</p><p>"So that's it..."</p><p>Lucy was silent for a few moments as she organized her ideas, she had a slight suspicion of where Damian's insecurities came from.</p><p>"Is this about your mother?"</p><p>Damian was startled and hastened to try to deny it, but Lucy came forward.</p><p>"You've been more irritable since our last mission, I know your mother beat us that time, but we can beat her if we tried again, we just weren't ready."</p><p>"Exactly, we didn't expected  her to have a way to incapacitate Superboy, but that's my fault."</p><p>"No, it's not."</p><p>"It is!"</p><p>"In any case, if you want to blame someone, blame those in the Justice League," Lucy said, letting out a little of her irritation "if they weren't so stubborn, Maps would be part of our team and that mission would have had a very different ending."</p><p>The two fell silent a few minutes before Lucy continued.</p><p>"The worst thing is, I think they do it just for taking the opposite side of your dad, even Superman agrees that Maps is part of the team, logistics, but it's already something."</p><p>"Quinn..."</p><p>"Wonder Woman also agrees to have her give us information!"</p><p>"Quinn..."</p><p>"What kind of war do you win only with your fists? Why do they refuse to let her be a source of information?"</p><p>"Quinn..."</p><p>"But no,what's their problem?"</p><p>"Quinn..."</p><p>"Does it hurt their pride so much to admit that we are capable..."</p><p>"Lucy!"</p><p>At that, Lucy stopped, realizing that she had let out her criticism of the league members. She blushed slightly, ashamed of her outburst.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, Damian," she said softly, "I'm supposed to be helping you, not forcing you to hear my stupid outbursts."</p><p>"They're not stupid," Damian assured her.</p><p>Both remained silent for a few minutes, until Damian spoke again.</p><p>"Do you want to spar?"</p><p>Lucy stared at him with a smile.</p><p>"Yep, I'd like to."</p><p>As they went down to the Batcave Lucy stopped, gaining the attention of Damian.</p><p>"You're not weak."</p><p>"Excuse me?"</p><p>"You are not weak, Damian," she assured him seeing him eye to eye.</p><p>"Quinn, don't patronize me."</p><p>"I'm not, a frightened child won't let anyone in, he'll never realize if the person who was going into his life would do him good or bad, because his fear will prevent him from even giving him a chance," she said with a sincere smile, "You've changed, rather, you've matured, you're not the aloof child, raised by assassins, and with a haughty personality you were when you met your father. Now you have family and friends, you have grown up to become a young adult who knows that some risks are worth it. And as your friend, I'm proud of you,and I'm proud that you're our leader."</p><p>Both remained silent, words were not necessary.</p><p>The two smiled and continued to advance towards the cave.</p><p>Along the way they met Mar'i, who, upon seeing Damian proceeded to cling to him. Damian would not admit it to anyone, but he had understood family love by holding his niece in his arms for the first time.</p><p>Lucy was right, what her mother insisted was a weakness, only showed the emotional growth that Damian had had.</p><p>When he opened up to his family, he got a group of people who supported him unconditionally, Todd reluctantly, but he doesn't count.</p><p>When he opened up to his friends, he had got his own team, people who trusted him and who he could trust.</p><p>Maybe he was wrong.</p><p>With that in mind, it might not be a bad idea to let Miss Dupain-Cheng get close.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ok, first of all, I'm really sorry for being absent for almost 3 months.  December was supposed to be a good month and it was going to let me update more often, but the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 have been difficult for me.</p><p>First of all, my car repairs were more expensive than I expected, I had to go back to work in the office (I used to work from home), a lot of things were ruined at home, which is why I had to work overtime.</p><p>Among the things that were ruined was my computer, we had it fixed with a family friend who was kind enough to update it.  I was not at home when he called to ask if we agreed to update the os and my mother said yes.</p><p>I lost all my files.</p><p>Including the chapters I had ready just to review.</p><p>It wasn't pretty.</p><p>That demotivated me a lot.</p><p>To top it all, my grandmother is sick and she has gotten worse these months.</p><p>Stress has been keeping me from doing the things I love, but I want to thank everyone who left me comments and who sent me private messages.</p><p>Thanks for your support.</p><p>I cannot promise update dates because I will be very busy, but I will try to give even short chapters to be able to get them out per week.</p><p>With love and many kisses I say goodbye.</p><p>Bye</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Her friends and family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng considered herself a normal teenager, true, she had two secret identities, one as a mysterious designer and the other as the fucking heroine of Paris, but in essence, she saw herself as a normal teenager.</p><p>So why were her two best friends making such a fuss over a boy she had just met?</p><p>True, Damien had turned out to be a very nice guy, and you had to be blind not to notice how attractive he was, his jet black hair and deep, beautiful green eyes...</p><p>Okay, maybe there was reason to make a fuss.</p><p>But Marinette was not the same naive girl who had fallen in love with a boy just because he showed her courtesy by giving her an umbrella. No, Marinette had grown up and matured. Yes, she was still a bit of a dreamer, but her dreams were different now.</p><p>Her main concern at the moment was to make sure Hawkmoth was stopped, that would give her time to think and occupy herself with her other goals, namely surviving high school and succeeding in her career as a designer.</p><p>At the moment, she was doing regularly well on both fronts.</p><p>She had created the MDC brand and only people she trusted, such as Uncle Jagged and those he had recommended, could commission her. Almost no one knew anything about MDC, only Marinette, her parents, Jagged and Penny (they were the ones who helped him create MDC) and his friends. Oh, and Audrey who had caught them in flagrante delicto while they were working. Come to think of it, it wasn't as secret as she would like.</p><p>Chloe had been elated when she had discovered the secret, so much so, that she decided to create her own alter ego as a model, thus "Honey" was born.</p><p>Both girls' careers in the fashion world were going smoothly. Their school life, on the other hand?</p><p>It could be better...</p><p>Lila Rossi was a continual source of headaches for the girl with the black hair, after all, she as class president had to deal with a group of teenagers who didn't trust her, all because of the Italian girl.</p><p>That had left her and Chloe isolated from the rest. Chloe didn't mind too much, she said worrying about the opinion of "the gullible ball" was useless.</p><p>But it hurt Marinette, it hurt that Alya had chosen Lila, it hurt that the group of girls who had previously been able to put together a mission impossible scheme so that she could talk to her crush, now ignored her or looked at her with distrust and reproach.</p><p>And even though Chloe would try to play tough, she had seen the pained looks she used to give Sabrina.</p><p>However, even though her school life was not very good socially, Marinette was not complaining.</p><p>Gradually, as she matured and found other things to occupy her mind to deal with the pain of losing her friends, the stress of maintaining good grades, and improving her skills as a designer, not to mention her heroic activities, she had found new horizons and new friends.</p><p>Kagami and Chloe were now her best friends, Luka her friend and confidant, Nathaniel and Marc, the lovebirds Chloe loved to tease.</p><p>That's not counting the friends she had made at the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and The Mason of Miracles.</p><p>So Marinette saw herself as someone more mature, someone who wasn't going to be easily charmed by a handsome boy.</p><p>If only someone would pass the memo on to Kagami.....</p><p>Ever since the night the three friends had buried their feelings for Adrien Agreste, Kagami had become extremely overprotective.</p><p>That had been the reason for her first fight with Chloe, who accused her of being paranoid after Kagami had not-so-subtly threatened the son of a businessman who seemed to want to get close to Chloe.</p><p>However, Chloe was quite similar. She had questioned Luka, yes, sweet Luka, when he had started dating Kagami after Marinette and Luka broke off their relationship. Nothing bad had happened, they had simply realized that their relationship worked better if it was platonic.</p><p>Which was why, Marinette thought, her fear wasn't so misplaced. Her friends could be very scary.</p><p>Damien was a... nice guy.</p><p>Marinette had enjoyed her conversation with him. They both seemed to have different opinions on various topics, but apparently, they were both mature enough to share their opinion respectfully and not spark an argument.</p><p>There was a " je ne sais quoi" about the boy that made her feel comfortable.</p><p>Well, that wasn't entirely true.</p><p>To be honest, a part of Marinette had been afraid at the beginning of the conversation to say something that would offend the boy, however, when she let go of her fear, the conversation had flowed at a natural and pleasant pace.</p><p>It had been... pleasant.</p><p>Therefore, her friends' intervention was troubling.</p><p>"So I'm off to check the tournament specs for a couple of hours and now Mari-hime has a suitor," said Kagami in a casual tone, which only got a chuckle from Chloe and a grunt from Marinette "What happened?</p><p>"You work fast, Maribug," said Chloe still laughing, "I'm not complaining because the boy is good quality.</p><p>"Don't talk like that, Chloe!" scolded Marinette, clearly mortified by the embarrassment "We're talking about a boy, not a piece of meat!"</p><p>"A very handsome boy."</p><p>Marinette couldn't refute that, Damian was certainly attractive, his formal way of dressing couldn't hide to the young designer's eyes that the boy worked out.</p><p>"Great! Chloe already stuck me the pervert thing!" thought Marinette with her face red with embarrassment. Looking up she noticed the reproachful look Kagami was giving Chloe and the amused expression on the blonde's face.<br/>"Did I say that out loud?"</p><p>Both girls nodded.</p><p>Great.</p><p>"Could you pretend I didn't say anything?"</p><p>Both girls shook their heads.</p><p>Double great.</p><p>"You like him!"</p><p>"I just met him today Chloe, I can't like him in the way you're talking about."</p><p>"How do you know which way I'm talking about? I could be talking about you liking him as a friend..." said Chloe defending herself, before pausing "I'm talking just like Adrien, forget it, yes I meant you wanted to stick your tongue down his throat."</p><p>"CHLOE!" shouted both girls, indignant and embarrassed.</p><p>"What did I say? I think we all hate liars here."</p><p>"Don't you have a shred of shame?" asked Kagami with a frown.</p><p>"No, I left it in my other dress" answered the blonde, shamelessly, then, seeing the stern expression on Kagami's face " "Don't worry, I only say these things when it's just the three of us, I wouldn't do it in front of anyone else".</p><p>Marinette smiled a little. She really liked the honest and sassy Chloe. She was always funny.</p><p>" "Besides, we'd better not get distracted, my dear Kagami," she said sending a mischievous smile at Marinette, "We have to find out what happened between Maribug and Mr. Handsome.</p><p>Damn.</p><p>"Certainly" Kagami agreed, fixing her hazel eyes on the young designer "Mari-hime, would you be so kind to explain to us what happened?"</p><p>Marinette was silent for a few minutes, while her two friends became more impatient. Chloe was right, the three of them hated liars, so lying was not an option, resigned, she sighed and began to tell her friends what had happened.</p><p>When she finished her story, she thought for a second before adding.</p><p>"I think I like him, but not Chloe, not enough to want to kiss him, I remind you that I met him today, however, I find him very nice, not in the traditional sense, but I find his sarcasm and his scathing comments quite amusing." A smile adorned Marinette's face as she remembered some of Damien's comments "I beg you, please don't interfere, I would like to meet him."</p><p>Both the Japanese and the blonde stared at her for a few minutes before nodding.</p><p>"It's your decision, Mari-hime," Kagami told her, sitting next to her to hug her, then added in a serious tone "but if he hurts you, I'll deal with him myself."</p><p>"Take your time and let us know if things get romantic," said Chloe, winking at her "if you need any romantic advice... ask someone else, I have no experience, but if you ever want to look sexy...".</p><p>"CHLOE!"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>The three teens giggled together as they shared a hug.</p><p>Meanwhile, on the other side of the suite.</p><p>Tomoe was on the phone with the girls' mothers.</p><p>"A boy? In less than 24 hours?" Audrey asked in a tone more amused than was appropriate in Tomoe's humble opinion "Wow, that was fast!"</p><p>"I think you're missing the point" Tomoe scolded her.</p><p>"What do you think the point is?" Audrey replied in a mocking tone.</p><p>"The girls were supposed to come here to distract themselves from the chaos that kuso shoujo brought into their lives."</p><p>"What better distraction than a cute boy?"</p><p>"I never said it was a cute boy."</p><p>"Well, if you did, it would be a miracle. Because you cannot see"</p><p>"Audrey..." said Sabine</p><p>"What did I say?"</p><p>Tomoe sighed and Sabine let out a giggle.</p><p>"What do you think, Sabine?"</p><p>Sabine was silent for a few seconds, trying to put her thoughts in order.</p><p>"Did she sound happy?" she asked with a tone of desperation.</p><p>To Sabine that was the most important thing.</p><p>Sabine Cheng loved her daughter. Marinette was her precious little girl, talented and kind, brave and a little clumsy.</p><p>She had seen how the events of the past few years had had a great impact on her adored daughter. Her smile was no longer the same.</p><p>For a while, and it infuriated her to remember it, she hadn't realized it. She remembered being shocked at the false accusations against her daughter, and how the young girl responsible had confessed to suffering from a condition that made her lie.</p><p>Sabine didn't know what to think, on the one hand, her daughter had almost been expelled because of a lie by Miss Rossi, on the other hand, if her illness was real and she couldn't control her lies, Sabine would feel bad holding a grudge against a child.</p><p>So she decided to look into it.</p><p>Mythomania seemed to be the disease from which Lila suffered.</p><p>Sabine probably would have forgiven Lila Rossi if she hadn't caught the little girl red-handed threatening Marinette.</p><p>It was one thing to lie because of a neurological imbalance; it was quite another thing to lie maliciously and threaten.</p><p>After that incident, Marinette had confessed to him that things were not going well at school. Her classmates and friends had been bewitched by Lila Rossi's fantastic stories and for some time now, her "friends" had begun to distrust her.</p><p>After a crying session and a week in which Marinette did not go to school, with her parent's permission, things got better.</p><p>Sort of...</p><p>Her classmates were still deceived by Lila and therefore began to isolate Marinette.</p><p>The difference was that now Marinette could confide in her mother and talk to her about it.</p><p>Marinette had asked her if she should follow Adrien's advice and just keep quiet, but Sabine had advised her about it.</p><p>**************************************************************************</p><p>Flashback</p><p>"What do I do, Mom?" she had asked between sobs "Would it be better to just shut up?"</p><p>"Honey..."</p><p>"But the very idea of letting "her" get away with it makes me furious. It's not fair!"</p><p>"No, my child, it's not...."</p><p>"She's taking away all my friends! I don't know what to do!"</p><p>Sabine let Marinette cry in her arms, when she calmed down she told her:</p><p>"Marinette, it's your decision, but if you think the right thing to do is to speak up, speak up. When that little girl's lies come out, no one will be able to accuse you of not having tried to warn them." she said seriously, looking her in the eyes "whatever your choice is, we will be here for you."</p><p>***************************************</p><p>So now, Marinette could trust her mother.</p><p>If only she would...</p><p>Sabine knew Marinette was hiding something from her, but she didn't know what. A part of her wanted to just barge into her life and take charge of whatever it was that was torturing her little girl. But she couldn't.</p><p>She had raised an independent young woman. To date, Marinette had told her parents almost everything.</p><p>One day Sabine decided to confront her daughter.</p><p>She had assured her that everything would be all right, but Marinette told her that the secret she was keeping was not hers.</p><p>Sabine respected her daughter's loyalty, but if this secret kept hurting her, someone (probably the person who put her baby in a situation where she couldn't trust her parents) was going to get hurt.</p><p>After that conversation, a lot of things happened.</p><p>Alya had demanded answers that her daughter wasn't willing to share, which had led to the two girls breaking off their friendship, leaving Marinette alone.</p><p>That had hurt Marinette, and Sabine suffered for her little girl's pain.</p><p>For a while, Sabine began to consider transferring Marinette to another school, away from that mythomaniac who made her life impossible; but her daughter had refused to run away. Instead, like a phoenix, she rose from the ashes.</p><p>Her grades had improved. She was no longer distracted in class and was studying more, she had even started to learn Mandarin and Japanese.</p><p>Her social life had also improved, she had fewer friends, but the friends she had were of the right quality. She had even patched things up with Chloe and now had a highly loyal friend.</p><p>Sabine had been a little worried when Marinette decided to end her dating with Luka, but that boy was an angel who continued to care for her daughter, this time as friends.</p><p>Marinette had also started working on her future and as a mother, there was no greater satisfaction than seeing her daughter working to fulfill her dreams. Her designs were now something to be coveted, thanks in part to Penny Rolling's advice.</p><p>And her little girl had found new passions.</p><p>A visit to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation animal shelter had shown her new possibilities; Marinette had always wanted a pet, but with the bakery that was almost impossible. Instead, she was now an occasional volunteer at the foundation.</p><p>That Sabine and Tom almost had a heart attack when they learned that their daughter had jumped off a bridge to rescue a dog, well, that was a story for another day.</p><p>Besides, their daughter had found more places to help. Le Mason of the Miracles and the children's hospital in Paris had become places her daughter eventually visited to help.</p><p>Thanks to that, she met more people, people who saw her as a sweet young girl trying to help. It filled Sabine with pride when a customer at the bakery commented on what a good girl Marinette was.</p><p>So distracted was she that she was a little startled when Tomoe spoke:</p><p>"'Happy' is a bit strong I think, they just chatted, but she sounded at ease."</p><p>Sabine sighed in relief, the last thing Marinette needed was more stress.</p><p>"I'll talk to her tonight to see what's going on." Sabine said, "I don't think there's anything to worry about."</p><p>"Great!" said Audrey happily "You do that and get back to us with the gossip."</p><p>"Audrey!"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>At the same time in the other room.</p><p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a responsible girl, by sheer force, but she was.</p><p>From the moment she became the guardian of the miraculous, she assumed her position as team leader.</p><p>That was one of the few responsibilities she regarded with a smile, after all that meant working with her friends to protect her beloved home.</p><p>However, not to forget, it was still a responsibility, one that Marinette took very seriously. It meant looking out for the physical and emotional safety of her companions.</p><p>The morning's battle had left a deep impact on Marc, after all the snake miraculous had one major disadvantage: the user had to remember what went wrong in order to fix it.</p><p>"How was Marc doing?" Marinette asked Chloe.</p><p>"Better than in the morning, that's for sure," Chloe admitted with resignation and some concern. "When I arrived, he had already cried. We talked for a while. I think it calmed him down a bit to see that I was okay."</p><p>"That's good" commented Kagami "sometimes Luka also needs to check that no one is hurt."</p><p>"Yeah, I get your point," Chloe mentioned with a smile as she remembered how Marc had hugged her and touched her back as if to check that she wasn't hurt. "By the way, apparently Luka invited Marc and Nathaniel to a "boys' night out".</p><p>"Yes, he texted me about it," said Kagami nodding.</p><p>Marinette was relieved to hear that Marc was getting help, but then she started to feel guilty.</p><p>If she hadn't given the miraculous to Marc, that wouldn't have happened. If she had made sure Marc was properly trained, it wouldn't have happened. If she had selected a different miraculous, it wouldn't have happened...</p><p>" "This is my fault," she said in an almost inaudible whisper, emphasis on almost.</p><p>" "That's not true, Marinette," said Tikki as she perched on her holder's shoulder. "There was no way to predict this outcome."</p><p>"I'm the guardian, I should have been able to see this coming," she said frustrated "Marc is a sensitive soul, that's why his perfect partner is Duusu. I shouldn't have let him in."</p><p>"Marc has potential, your eyesight was not wrong, guardian," Longg told her with a voice full of wisdom "Don't doubt your abilities."</p><p>"Certainly, Great Guardian" Pollen told her with her respectful voice "You are an excellent guardian, only exceptional guardians are capable of communicating with the universe as you do."</p><p>"But today..."</p><p>"Today, Maribug" "said Chloe, taking Marinette's chin and forcing her to look her in the eyes, "was not your fault, blame it on Hawkmoth, but I will not allow you to take responsibility for this. Besides, if you want to blame it on any of us, blame it on me. After all, if Gigantitan hadn't caught me, Marc wouldn't be feeling bad right now."</p><p>"No, my queen!" complained Pollen immediately.</p><p>"How is it your fault, woman?" said Kagami with a frown "I don't think you let Gigantitan attack you just for the sake of it. I on the other hand... I should have trained him better, if he was able to handle the three dragons, this wouldn't have happened."</p><p>"Don't talk like that, Kagami!" Longg reprimanded her.</p><p>"Stop it!" asked Marinette "Girls, don't try to make me feel better! The fact here is that I was wrong, I thought Marc was ready. He's not ready for this."</p><p>"Not yet" mentioned Chloe innocently "after today's fiasco, he said he's going to train more."</p><p>"Luka mentioned that he will monitor the training."," added Kagami.</p><p>Marinette was silent. She would like nothing more than to hug Marc and tell him not to worry, that they would figure it out, but she couldn't. They needed help badly and Marc was a perfect user. His greatest affinity was with Duusu, but he had a second affinity with the snake and dragon miraculous.</p><p>"By the way, Marc sent you this" Chloe mentioned, showing a video on her cell phone.</p><p>In the video, Marc could be seen sitting nervously, looking at the camera.</p><p>"Hi, Marinette" said the boy with nervousness in his voice " "I just wanted to... I..." it seemed that the words were not flowing for the young writer "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you worry! I'm sure you think I'm useless..."</p><p>"The video is for Marinette, Marc." Nathaniel's voice was heard "I don't think she thinks that of you."</p><p>"Don't be ridiculous, Maribug has a heart of gold" Chloe's voice was heard.</p><p>"O- Okay then I just wanted to tell you, well, ask you to please don't leave me out, I-I-I want to help you" Marc expressed with tears in his eyes "I really want to, I couldn't stand to have to wait while you fight without knowing if you are well, so Marinette I promise you that I will give my best and I will be worthy of the trust you already put in me" after her resolute words, Marc blushed "that's all, please be careful in Gotham, goodbye."</p><p>The video ended and Marinette sat in silence.</p><p>Until tears began to well up in her eyes.</p><p>"Mari-hime! Are you okay?" Kagami asked in alarm.</p><p>"Maribug! I'm so sorry! The video was supposed to make you feel better!"</p><p>At her friends' concern, Marinette began to sob.</p><p>"I'm supposed... hic... to be the leader!" said the girl between sobs "I should be comforting you, not you comforting me!"</p><p>The two teenagers were silent, not knowing what to say.<br/>Chloe was the first to react, hugging Marinette tightly. A few seconds later, Kagami joined the hug, followed by the four kwamis.</p><p>"You are a great leader, we wouldn't trade you for anything, Maribug," Chloe told her with tears in her eyes.</p><p>"She is right, Mari-hime" Kagami assured her, with a kind smile "I would never present my sword to anyone else."</p><p>"You are young and you will grow in wisdom," Longg assured her.</p><p>"No guardian had ever taken the time to really know us before you" commented Kaalki.</p><p>"Great guardian, we love you very much," said Pollen.</p><p>"And you're one of the best holders I've ever had, my precious Ladybug." Tikki said, cuddling her cheek.</p><p>The three girls and the four kwamis stayed like that for a few moments, just soaking Marinette with affection.</p><p>After a few minutes, Marinette felt better.</p><p>"Oh, by the way, I brought what you asked for," she said, handing the pigtailed girl a box, "What do you need Mullo for?</p><p>"I don't know,"," said the girl honestly, opening the box, taking out the necklace, and releasing the kwami, "but if I've learned anything, it's to listen to my instincts, and my instincts tell me that I need Mullo with me."</p><p>"It's good to see you, guardian!" the kwami said with clear excitement "I'm going to do my best to be useful to you!</p><p>Marinette smiled at the adorable kwami. After Tikki, her greatest affinity was with Mullo, so Marinette had taken the time to get to know the little guy.</p><p>The three girls, plus the kwamis, decided to relax by watching movies, late into the night. Marinette felt at peace as she felt the love of her friends and the little gods, so she allowed herself to relax, even when Tomoe said she had to go out, Marinette thought the night would be very peaceful.</p><p>Until a group of superheroes arrived on her balcony. Quickly, Marinette signaled the kwamis to hide while the three girls talked to the peculiar visitors.</p><p>Well, at least she rested for a while, because apparently, it was time for work.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't even know with what face to show you anymore.</p><p>At least it took me less time than last time. Yes, it wasn't much of an improvement, but I'm making progress.</p><p>So...<br/>I wanted to show you where we are here, emotionally speaking. I hope you like it.</p><p>The next chapter will be the meeting of the batfam with our Parisians.<br/>Wait for it, I promise to update as soon as I can, I won't give dates because I remind you that I work full time so it's hard for me.<br/>Well, I hope you liked the chapter, thank you very much for commenting, and see you later.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Truths and secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bruce Wayne was someone who did not judge a book by its cover, he knew that appearances could be deceiving, however, he could not help but wonder how it was possible that what looked like the most helpless and harmless girl he had ever seen was the leader of this group.</p><p>Physically speaking, Miss Tsurugi seemed to be superior; in terms of influence, Miss Bourgeois was clearly the one to look for.</p><p>Despite that, it was evident that the one leading the two of them was the girl with pigtails.</p><p>This became clearer when she stood in front of her friends as she invited them in.</p><p>Batman had decided to take Nightwing, Batwoman and Robin with him. The girls already knew the latter two and Nightwing had the charisma to make the two girls feel comfortable. The others were on patrol, but they could hear everything over the communicators.</p><p>"Hello again, girls" greeted Batwoman trying to lighten the mood.</p><p>" Hello to you too" replied Marinette, while Kagami nodded and Chloe waved "Thank you very much for coming."</p><p>"No problem, we can't refuse the call for help from three lovely ladies, "said Nightwing with a smile.</p><p>"Well, thanks anyway, "said Marinette ignoring Chloe's giggle and Kagami's frown.</p><p>Interesting.</p><p>" I would like to have more details before taking any action "expressed Batman, to which Marinette replied.</p><p>"How much do you know so far?" asked the girl in a respectful, but authoritative voice, which surprised those present, except for her friends, who smiled.</p><p>"What do you mean? "asked Robin, between surprised and amused.</p><p>Marinette smiled at him.</p><p>"Batman has the title of 'the world's best detective'" she explained looking Robin in the eyes "I don't think you would have come if you hadn't investigated and found reasons to talk to us."</p><p>Bruce was impressed. Tim's idea, that this girl was some sort of civilian ally for the heroine of Paris, didn't sound so far-fetched anymore. </p><p>"It wasn't entirely easy, for some reason we had to hack into a resident's computer to gain access "  Robin mentioned, without taking his eyes off Marinette.</p><p>The girl nodded with a thoughtful expression.</p><p>"That would explain why it's been so hard to get help."</p><p>"I understand they already sent reports about it to the League, but for some reason, those weren't handled properly," said Batman, watching as the blonde snorted in annoyance.</p><p>"Understatement of the year, the first time they called daddy crazy and the following times, even when Ladybug herself begged  for help, she was told not to bother anymore" mentioned Chloe with clear resentment "They didn't even investigate to see if it was true, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous"</p><p>"We are aware that the kind of villain that terrorizes Paris is not common, we know it sounds unreal" said Kagami "But for us, it is very real."</p><p>Everyone present remained in solemn silence for a few minutes. Those who were present, Jason was shouting obscenities into the communicators.</p><p>"Can you give us more details on the topic?" asked Batwoman.</p><p>Marinette watched them all for a few minutes before speaking.</p><p>"It all started about four years ago..."</p><p>An explanation later.</p><p>Batman knew this wasn't going to be easy, seeing as how this guy's victims tended to be teenagers and children, that's not counting a baby, for God's sake. </p><p>But little did he know the level of stress they were dealing with. </p><p>In Gotham, crime was the bread and butter, but at least people had the freedom to be scared, angry or sad, the people in Paris had had that right taken away from them.</p><p>And the worst thing was that they had asked for help, more than once and no one had responded. </p><p>Seeing the three girls in front of him he realized that they had to do something or he would not forgive himself.</p><p>Besides, from the amount of information Marinette possessed, it was clear that Tim's assumption was on the right track, this girl was too familiar with the Parisian heroes to be just a fan. She had something to do with it.</p><p>"What is your relationship with the Parisian heroes?" he asked looking her in the eye. </p><p>All three girls were surprised to hear the unexpected question, the first to recover was Marinette, followed by Kagami and Chloe, however, all three acted differently as they recovered. Chloe had one hand on her cell phone, Kagami looked extremely alert and had her katana within reach, even though it was made of wood, but Marinette looked resigned.</p><p>"Let me guess, you already hacked into my computer, right?" asked Marinette, which honestly surprised Batman, she didn't look angry, just annoyed.</p><p>"We can explain" said Dick, but he was interrupted by Robin.</p><p>"Only partly, we tried other means before accessing your computer" said Robin without any regrets.</p><p>Bruce wanted to facepalm, Damian still had trouble empathizing, but even he wasn't such a fool not to know that telling the girl who could be his only link to the heroes in Paris that they had hacked her computer was a lousy idea.</p><p>"Very subtle, demon spawn!" Red Hood said sarcastically.</p><p>"Robin, we need to know more about the situation!" complained Red Robin "Don't ruin it!"</p><p>Similar comments began to be heard over the comms and, based on the look on Robin's face, were beginning to annoy the boy. </p><p>"Please," thought Bruce "don't let him go out and chase his brothers...again."</p><p>Marinette's giggle interrupted his thoughts.</p><p>"I figured as much" seeing the surprised look on the vigilantes's faces, she added "As I said before, your reputation precedes you. I figured something like this would happen."</p><p>"You haven't answered the question" Robin pointed out.</p><p>Marinette was silent for a few moments, thinking what to do.<br/>She didn't want to reveal too much information, however, she was dealing with the best detective in the world, underestimating Batman was a mistake.</p><p>"What is your theory about me? If you're asking about my relationship with the miraculous team, it's because you already had an idea."</p><p>The vigilantes were stunned, usually, they had the upper hand because, in any negotiation, they controlled the flow of information, however, Marinette's question was going to complicate things.</p><p>Red Robin began to analyze their  options.<br/>If they answered, she would know the extent to which they had investigated and most likely kept a couple of secrets as trump cards.<br/>Denial was not an option, Marinette was smart enough to deduce that her computer had been hacked by them, she would not trust them and that was dangerous.<br/>If they didn't respond, then, morally speaking, they wouldn't have enough authority to demand information.<br/>Playing the "we are professionals and it's better if we know more than you" card, would not work if Marinette was linked to the French heroes.</p><p>"Wow, she's good!" said Red Robin, impressed with Marinette Dupain-Cheng's cleverness "Batman, tell her our suspicions, turn on your suit camera, I'll go right now with Oracle, I want to see this."</p><p>Sighing, Batman proceeded to explain his theory.</p><p>"We have reasons to believe that you're some kind of civilian informant, probably an advisor." he mentioned watching the surprise appear on the faces of the three girls.</p><p>"All that, just from the information on my computer?" Marinette sounded both surprised and concerned "I guess that's good."</p><p>"Excuse me?" Nightwing asked with a confused expression "What do you mean?"</p><p>"She means Batman does justice to his title as the world's greatest detective," replied Chloe then turned to look at Batman. </p><p>"You or one of your partners," corrected Marinette.</p><p>Red Robin snorted as he heard the French girl speak, not bad. So she figure it out.</p><p>"You haven't answered the question," Robin pointed out.</p><p>Marinette stared at the vigilantes for a moment before speaking.</p><p>" You're right, I work with the miraculous team" replied Marinette.</p><p>"Marinette!!!" complained both girls.</p><p>"Girls, we came here to ask for help, this man and his team are our best option, you know I hate liars, so, I will be as honest as possible if it means getting help to end this nightmare." Marinette explained patiently, then turned to look at Batman "I will be as honest as possible, but there is some information I refuse to share, I promise it has no bearing on stopping this problem."</p><p>Those present were silent, while Tim laughed. </p><p>" Why are they are so young? The heroes, I mean" asked Dick, breaking the silence.</p><p>"The previous guardian selected Ladybug, she was the most compatible with her miraculous, her age was not considered when selecting her" explained Marinette "in his defense, Hawkmoth attacked that very afternoon, it was an emergency and she was the best choice."</p><p>"Still, they are basically children..."</p><p>"Children or not, there was no other choice, besides Ladybug has been doing a magnificent job" proclaimed Chloe "Not only has she been dealing with the nonsense that is Hawkmoth, but minor crimes have also been reduced and she has inspired all of Paris to be better."</p><p>Marinette smiled at her friend, then turned to look at Batman.</p><p>"I understand your concern, they are young, but for the moment, the miraculous team is our only hope," the young woman explained "besides, they have been doing well so far."</p><p>"Why do they need our help then?" asked Robin "Didn't you said they're doing well?"</p><p>"Because they have been until now." said Marinette with a somber expression "Things have changed."</p><p>"Elaborate further " demanded Batman, earning a death glare from Kagami.</p><p>"As I said before, the ladybug and black cat miraculous must work together for there to be balance, creation, and destruction." Marinette explained "That's why both miraculous must be active, but we lost Chat Noir and now the miraculous team is juggling to be able to keep fighting."</p><p>"Handing over the miraculous is not an option either" said Kagami, anticipating any suggestion on the matter.</p><p>"That's true, Ladybug considered passing her miraculous to some more experienced hero, but that's not possible"  Marinette added "Most of the miraculous team members are paired with a miraculous kindred to their soul."</p><p>"What do you mean?" asked Batwoman. </p><p>"Each miraculous personifies some force of nature and some somewhat abstract concept, for example, the snake represents serenity and wisdom, so his miraculous has a better connection to someone who lives and understands those qualities." Marinette explained "The miraculous team members are people whose soul is in sync with the concept of their miraculous and are their best match. In all of Paris, there is no better bee than Empress Abeille, no better dragon than Ryuko and it is the same for the other team members."</p><p>"I understand" said Batman seriously "So what do you need from us?"</p><p>"There are two things I would like to ask your help with" said Marinette, mentally preparing herself for what was next "Number one, we need logistical support, despite the team's best efforts, we are not making any progress in discovering Hawkmoth's identity, that is our priority. We contacted you directly because the Justice League rejected our requests earlier and stopping Hawkmoth is our priority."</p><p>"What is your other request?" Nightwing asked.</p><p>"Please put us in touch with Wonder Woman."</p><p>"Why her?" Batwoman asked in confusion.</p><p>"Because she is the only person who has contact with a former Ladybug," said Marinette, leaving everyone surprised.</p><p>"I thought the current Ladybug was the only one who could carry the miraculous," said Batman.</p><p>"That's right, when a person renounces a miraculous, this person can't use it again, Hippolyta, Wonder Woman's mother, was a user of the Ladybug's miraculous, but she renounced the miraculous centuries ago." Marinette explained "However, that doesn't take away from the fact that she has experience as a warrior and as a miraculous user and her point of view would be invaluable. We are desperate for help and she could help us understand Ladybug's powers much better."</p><p>"You mentioned a guardian, the one who chose Ladybug" Batman pointed out "Why can't he be the one to explain the perks of her miraculous to Ladybug?"</p><p>Marinette seemed a little affected by the question, but she quickly recovered and answered in a serious tone.</p><p>"Because he is no longer around."</p><p>That statement was enough to put the vigilantes into silence. Meanwhile, Red Robin began to analyze the situation, the way Marinette had answered implied that she had known the former guardian personally. Their hypothesis that Marinette was connected to the heroes of Paris had proved true, but that left them with the question of how they had made contact in the first place. If Marinette was related to the previous guardian, that might explain how she met the heroes and how she became their foothold.<br/>Still, something was bothering Tim, but he didn't know what it was.</p><p>"I understand."</p><p>Batman's voice brought Red Robin out of his thoughts, causing him and Oracle to turn his attention back to the girls in front of him.</p><p>"The reason why it's necessary to contact Hippolyta is because the miraculous and their holders have started doing strange things," said Marinette.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Batwoman asked intrigued.</p><p>"Well, the miraculous has a different effect on each user, I can't be specific, I don't want to reveal information that could compromise their identities." said Marinette seriously "But to give an example, Empress Abeille and Ladybug herself didn't have wings until a few months ago. I don't know what the cause is and I'm also concerned about not knowing what kind of changes a permanent user of the black cat's miraculous would experience."</p><p>"I have a question," said Nightwing, "What happened to Chat Noir?</p><p>That question was the trigger for a reaction Dick wasn't expecting, all three girls froze and turned pale.</p><p>"That... he..." for the first time so far that night, Marinette didn't know what to say, up to that moment she had been calm and collected when arguing with Batman himself, but now...<br/>Immediately seeing Marinette's insecurity, Chloe and Kagami took a defensive stance to protect their friend, though they too looked disturbed.</p><p>" If this is uncomfortable for you, we can take a rain check." Nightwing said, concerned about the girl's reaction.</p><p>" No, I'm fine" said Marinette bravely, then gave her friends a reassuring look "Really, I'm  fine."</p><p>"If you say so," said Chloe, not so sure, while Kagami looked at the vigilantes with a stern look.</p><p>"Almost a year ago, Hawkmoth created his worst Akuma, she was called 'Mothers Wrath'" at the name, the three girls shuddered "It was terrifying, and it was the first Akuma that almost got out of Paris, besides, it usually takes the miraculous team about a day to neutralize an Akuma. This Akuma, took a week." Marinette said, gathering all her courage to continue "It was horrible, a whole week in which the miraculous team couldn't even sleep, they only took small breaks before fighting again. All the citizens of Paris were affected, the mothers of Paris became soldiers for Mothers Wrath, the screams of the "punished" filled everyone's heart with fear. Despair and fear were constant for a whole week. <br/>In addition, it was after that attack that the akumatization victims began to have flashbacks of their Akumatized time.<br/>If you searched for information about the situation in Paris, I'm sure you noticed a gap of missing information, that's because this Akuma was the only one that was kept in almost total secrecy, everyone remembers the terror, but almost no one remembers the victims.<br/>A friend of a friend took it upon himself to erase almost everything about the incident."</p><p>Saying this, Marinette pulled out of her suitcase what appeared to be a book, but the watchers observed how this was actually a compartment from which she pulled out a USB. </p><p>"The files on this USB are the only records of what happened, all the videos, photographs, and reports." he said as he handed Batman the USB. "I want you to see it so you understand why we need help."</p><p>The vigilantes were silent for a few minutes, then Batman spoke.</p><p>"We are going to examine this, but I have a question." Batman waited for the young Parisian woman to nod before asking, "How come you have this? Even if you are part of the logistics of the "miraculous team", I don't understand why you three seem to know everything about this incident."</p><p>The three girls turned to look at each other, clearly uncomfortable with the question.</p><p>"We had no choice," said Chloe in a slightly shaky voice "we were there when the akumatization happened."</p><p>"In a way, we could say it was our fault," confessed Kagami, confusing the vigilantes.</p><p>"The three victims of akumatization" said Marinette with tears in her eyes they were our mothers."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖</p><p>Ok, this is the new chapter.</p><p>Sorry for the delay, but I had personal problems in my previous job so I had to change.  I'm in a better place now and I hope the stress doesn't kill me here like it did in the other place.</p><p>Well, that said.</p><p>What do you think of the chapter?</p><p>The next chapter will be about Mothers Wrath, the akumatization of Sabine, Audrey and Tomoe.</p><p>There I will explain how Adrien, Alya and Nino lost their miraculous and how the new team was formed.  I probably have to split the chapter.</p><p>Well thanks for reading and waiting, I update when I can, but I do.</p><p>Until next time.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Mothers Wrath I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Paris, a year and a half ago</p><p>Chloe Bourgeois had never wished more for her school bell to ring, marking the end of the school day, as she was doing right now.</p><p>The blonde girl stood on the edge of her seat, one hand on her bag, staring at the school clock.</p><p>"Just a little bit more," Chloe said quietly "almost there."</p><p>"Just because you stare at the clock, it's not going to move any faster, Chloe." said her friend Marinette quietly "In fact, it's going to feel like time is passing slower."</p><p>"Party pooper" snorted the blonde, while Marinette smiled.</p><p>Chloe was excited, today was the day her friends would get together and celebrate their second anniversary of friendship. The year before, it had been a fiasco because Adrien had the idea of breaking Kagami's heart that very same day. But this year, this year Chloe was going to have her longed-for girls' evening followed by a sleepover. Celebrating a friendship anniversary with the girls had been her idea, and she really wanted it to be perfect.</p><p>Just then, the school bell brought Chloe out of her daydream. Quickly, she grabbed Marinette's hand and rushed her out to the schoolyard, where they waited for Kagami for a couple of minutes.</p><p>The Japanese girl did not take long to arrive, and when she saw her friends, she smiled.</p><p>"Well, I think we are ready to go" said Kagami seeing Chloe almost hopping with excitement "What shall we do first?"</p><p>"First, we're going to eat ice cream, then we're going to the movies to see that animated movie we were talking about last time, then we'll go shopping and, finally, we'll go to the hotel to have our sleepover" said Chloe, dragging her two friends towards the exit "Hurry up girls! Jean Jaques is already outside waiting for us."</p><p>Marinette and Kagami smiled at Chloe's emotion. Maybe the blonde was nicer now, but Chloe Bourgeois would never stop being bossy.</p><p>On their way out, they found Chloe's limousine with her butler waiting for them.<br/>Chloe gave the order and the three girls were on their way to Raimo Glacier Paris, an ice cream parlor that Chloe had wanted to go to for quite some time.</p><p>Shortly after, the air around them was filled with the delicious smell of fruit ice cream and the conversation of three teenage girls, unaware that the day was about to go downhill to hell.</p><p>"So did you kiss him?" Chloe asked, looking at Kagami with a mischievous look.</p><p>"No, Chloe, I didn't kiss him" replied the young swordswoman, a bit annoyed at her blonde friend's comments "We were hiding from an Akuma, not fooling around."</p><p>"If only you knew the number of couples that have been set up while hiding from some Akuma," mentioned Marinette "you'd be surprised."</p><p>"Which side do you take, Marinette?" claimed Kagami.</p><p>"Just saying..."</p><p>Chloe laugh at Marinette's shy yet mischievous look, which was later joined by her friends. When they calmed down, Kagami turned to look at Marinette.</p><p>"Doesn't it bother you?" she asked seriously, in a confident voice, trying to hide her nervousness.<br/>Marinette smiled at her friend before shaking her head and answering.</p><p>"Just because I dated him before doesn't make me his owner, besides, we broke up because we realized that we work better as friends, and as his friend, I just want him to be happy" said Marinette smiling, then, looking at Kagami in the eyes, she added "Just... promise me that you won't hurt him Ok? Luka is a good guy and I don't want him to be hurt"</p><p>"I can't promise that I will never hurt him, sometimes I hurt people unintentionally, but I promise you that I will be careful and that I will never hurt him intentionally."</p><p>Marinette was convinced with the answer and the three girls decided to talk about other things. </p><p>Their talk was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a ridiculously sweet voice full of malice, a voice that all three had come to loathe.</p><p>"Thank you so much! I really need a place in the shade because of my allergy to the sun." Lila said. Apparently, she had charmed the waiter to get her way for a change.</p><p>"Are you serious? Allergy to the sun?"<br/>complained Chloe, clearly annoyed "Last week she did photoshoots on the beach! Agh! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.</p><p>"To make it worse, that family had to leave early to make room for that harlot" said Kagami between her teeth, trying to calm herself down.</p><p>"We'd better go, I don't like the idea of running away from her, but I don't want her to ruin our day" said Marinette looking at her two friends.</p><p>Chloe and Kagami were not happy with the idea, but neither wanted to deal with Lila Rossi. </p><p>They were about to leave the ice cream parlor when Lila's voice, like nails on a chalkboard, interrupted them.</p><p>"Well, if it isn't Marinette!" exclaimed Lila, falsely surprised "I didn't know you'd be here! After all, you ran off without a word. If we had known you were coming here we would have invited you to come with us. You shouldn't isolate yourself from your friends!"</p><p>Yeah, right, as if the blame for Marinette being isolated at school wasn't Lila's fault, to top it off, she was talking as if Kagami and Chloe weren't present.</p><p>"Thank you for your concern Lila, but if you didn't notice, I'm with my friends." Marinette replied, her tone apparently annoying Lila and her companions, Alya and Sabrina.</p><p>"You'd rather hang out with Chloe than with us?" Alya demanded. Things hadn't been the same since Lila started poisoning the mind of her once best friend.</p><p>"Well, you chose to spend your afternoon with Lila, Marinette chose to spend her afternoon with us" Kagami interjected "I don't see the problem here."</p><p>"Well, do you want to put the tables together and with us?" Offered Lila. "Sabrina, would you please push the tables together? I'd help you, but you know it's impossible with my arthritis."</p><p>"Of course, Lila!"</p><p>"You're a sweetheart! "</p><p>"You're very kind, Lila" replied Sabrina, blushing.</p><p>"Don't be silly! You're always so nice" at that moment, Lila gave Chloe a teasing look "Only someone stupid wouldn't appreciate what you do for me."</p><p>That's when Marinette realized what Lila wanted, the only reason she had approached them, who knows how she knew where they would be, was to annoy Chloe specifically. <br/>The only person who had ever been openly hostile towards Lila was Chloe.<br/>Chloe stood up from the table abruptly, gaining the attention of those present. </p><p>"Marinette, we still have things to do and my ice cream doesn't taste so good anymore, let's order some Ice cream to go and let's go" she said in a regal tone, but Marinette knew she was only keeping that tone so as not to break down in front of Lila, Sabrina was for a long time her best friend and Chloe knew better than anyone that she hadn't treated her as she deserved, but that didn't give Lila any right to rejoice in the blonde's pain. <br/>Lila seemed to be preparing the fake tears to make Chloe look bad when Kagami intervened.</p><p>"I agree with Chloe, we have an agenda to follow and we can't afford to waste time" as she said this she took her and Marinette's things and she took Chloe's hand under the table, giving her a gentle squeeze "We are leaving."</p><p>"I'm going to pay and we're leaving," said Marinette as she headed for the counter.<br/>Marinette Dupain-Cheng was no coward, but she would rather leave the place than let her friends be subjected to the torment that is Lila Rossi. It wasn't worth it, Marinette could take any insult from Lila, but her friends, despite appearances, were fragile.<br/>As she was outside the premises and about to join Chloe and Kagami, her path was blocked by Lila.</p><p>"What do you want?" asked Marinette without bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.</p><p>"Just to remind you that I won, I took away your beloved friends, and now Adrien is mine" Lila told her with a malicious smile "You have nothing left."</p><p>"Good for you" replied Marinette, trying to get out of there, her anger was reaching near akumatization levels and she didn't want to deal with it. Lila blocked her way again "Lila, what the hell do you want?"</p><p>"Oh Marinette, how sweet of you to think you can run away from me!" replied the Italian with false sweetness "I told you you would be left alone, look at you, now you have to settle for the spoiled brat and the brisky queen."</p><p>At Lila's words, Marinette's fury rose, if it wasn't for Tikki transmitting comfort from her hiding place in Marinette's bag, she would have been akumatized.</p><p>"Insult me all you want, but leave them out of this" said Marinette almost growling.</p><p>"Wow, the kitty has claws!" said Lila, pretending to be amused, trying to hide her fear at Marinette's threatening tone.</p><p>"That's right, and if you don't want to find out how sharp they are, you'll stay away from them" said Marinette seriously looking Lila in the eyes, then she added with a soft smile "You won't be able to take them away from me."</p><p>"I know" replied Lila, trying to regain her composure "they are both too stubborn to fall into my web," then she added with an extremely malicious tone "but I can still make their lives impossible."</p><p>"Don't even think about it!"</p><p>"It won't be that hard" continued Lila, ignoring Marinette's warning tone "If I can get you, I can get them as well with, and  you were a goody two-shoes, those two don't have a good reputation, it would be quite easy to make them look like the villains.</p><p>"Lila..."</p><p>"I think it would be more fun, they will end up humiliated because they chose to be your friends."</p><p>"ENOUGH!"</p><p>Marinette's shout attracted the attention of those present and within seconds, Chloe, Kagami, Sabrina, and Alya had come running to see what was going on.</p><p>Marinette realized that was what Lila was looking for when she watched the Italian erase a mischievous smile and replace it with teary eyes.</p><p>"But Marinette... hic... I just wanted to help" sobbed Lila.</p><p>"What the hell is wrong with you Marinette!" claimed Alya, rushing to Lila's side.</p><p>"Alya, I was just..."</p><p>"I don't want to hear you unless you apologize to Lila!" Alya shouted at her.</p><p>"What right do you have to ask her to apologize if you don't even know what happened, Cesaire!" argued Chloe in the same tone.</p><p>"It's obvious that Marinette yelled at Lila!" Sabrina joined Lila's defense.</p><p>"Have you thought about finding out why Marinette yelled at Lila?" Kagami asked, trying to remain calm.</p><p>"It doesn't matter!" refuted Sabrina "Marinette has no right to attack Lila!"</p><p>"That's how gossip starts! Marinette didn't attack that bitch!"</p><p>Before anything else could happen, Sabrina's hand slammed into Chloe's cheek.<br/>Everything seemed to freeze for a few seconds. Sabrina slapped Chloe. Sabrina SLAPPED CHLOE!</p><p>Chloe looked at Sabrina with an expression full of pain and confusion.</p><p>"Sabrina..."</p><p>"It's your fault! Don't insult Lila! It's always the same with you! You insult everyone! That's why you have no friends! That's why your mother chose Zoé!" </p><p>Silence filled the place, even the birds stopped singing, all while the world around Chloe Bourgeois began to crumble.<br/>For Chloe, the existence of Zoé, her half-sister, had been one of the worst blows to her self-esteem. </p><p>"How dare you!"  Kagami said, finally losing her composure, indignation flowing from her voice.</p><p>Marinette approached Chloe, who was holding her cheek, still stricken.</p><p>"Don't hurt me, please!" Lila said in a tone too dramatic to be natural "I know it bothers you that Adrien chose me, but...!"</p><p>"This isn't about Adrien! This is about this little girl hitting Chloe!" She said as he pointed at Sabrina, who had the como sense to flinch.</p><p>"Please! With all that Chloe has done, a slap is nothing!" Alya said, trying to defend Sabrina.</p><p>"Chloe never went to the point of physical abuse with anyone!" claimed Marinette, still trying to get a reaction from Chloe.</p><p>"So what?! Sometimes words hurt more than blows!" said, Alya.</p><p>"What about her words, how dare you say that to her?" said Kagami, still tense with her hand resting on her wooden sword.</p><p>"Don't fight! Sabrina just wanted to protect me!" Lila said with fake tears " It must be hard for Chloe, after all, for her mother, Chloe was nothing but a second choice."</p><p>"And what do you know?! Don't give your opinion if you don't know!" argued Kagami.</p><p>"You're right."</p><p>Lila's words confused Kagami and Alya, Sabrina was still affected by her outburst against Chloe and Chloe was on the floor shaking. Marinette started to get a bad feeling, Lila wouldn't back down from an argument, unless it was to grab momentum to deliver the blow.</p><p>Marinette was right.</p><p>"I can't understand you two, because my mother loves me unconditionally."</p><p>As soon as the words left Lila's lips, silence flooded the street. Even Sabrina and Alya looked uncomfortable. Chloe and Marinette, on the other hand, were furious.</p><p>"Who do you think you are! Kagami has never done anything to you! Rossi, you're a horrible, horrible person!" Chloe shouted.</p><p>"It's not my intention to make you feel bad, it's enough that your mother doesn't love you if you don't win a silly fencing competition, besides Adrien loves me and not you."</p><p>"Lila, you're going too far," said Alya. </p><p>Lila looked at her for a few seconds, analyzing the reporter, hid a grimace of annoyance, only perceived by Marinette, before dramatically covering her mouth.</p><p>" I'm so sorry, Kagami! I didn't mean to sound cruel!" then she began to sob "This is why Marinette hates me!"</p><p>"It's not your fault, Lila!" Alya hurried to answer, seeing Lila's tears "Marinette doesn't hate you! She's just a little jealous.'</p><p>First of all, ok, Marinette didn't hate Lila, just that, if she saw her dying of thirst in a desert, she would think twice before giving her water. But there was no way for Alya to know that, her friendship with Marinette was all but vanished, she didn't know what Marinette felt and she had no right to decide who Marinette could or could not hate.</p><p>Secondly, jealousy? Really? Marinette and Alya hadn't spoken for some time, but she had told her that she had given up on Adrien, it was more important to see him happy and strong with Kagami than with her. And when Adrien broke Kagami's heart, Marinette's feelings faded away. </p><p>Actually, all three girls had burned their feelings for Adrien almost a year ago, almost burning down Chloe's suite during the incident, but meh, details.</p><p>Marinette had been one hundred percent honest about that, she wouldn't have given Luka a chance if she was still in love with Adrien, that wouldn't be fair. And even if her relationship with Luka hadn't worked out, it hadn't been because of a third party in discord.</p><p>"What do you know?" Marinette muttered "We haven't even spoken for a month."</p><p>"What did you say? Speak clearly, Marinette" Alya told her "And apologize to Lila while you're at it."</p><p>Marinette looked her in the eye, for months she had held back, trying to protect Alya's friendship, she had avoided the subject of Lila, but this was too much. It only took one look at Chloe's trembling posture and Kagami's white knuckles to summon the courage to face the one who once gave her wings. </p><p>"And what do you know, Alya?" she said with a seriousness and determination that made everyone there take a step back  "Is it clear enough for you?"</p><p>"Marinette! What do you mean?!" Alya asked exalted and a little frightened by the seriousness in Marinette's voice "I know you, girl! You've always had this creepy and honestly annoying crush on Adrien. You need to let it go! Lila and he have more in common! Plus they're on the same level!</p><p>A slap would have hurt less.</p><p>Marinette was ashamed of her actions bordering on stalking when she was in love, or rather infatuated with Adrien. It had taken a great stroke of maturity to accept that what she did wasn't right, what's more, when Adrien and Kagami were still together she had confessed everything to Adrien and although he had freaked out a little, he had forgiven her and they had remained friends.</p><p>That was until Adrien had broken Kagami's heart.</p><p>Alya hadn't been with her then, she hadn't been there when Marinette and Luka decided to try dating, she hadn't been there when they both realized they worked better as friends, she hadn't been there when Marinette questioned herself if she would ever be able to love someone and have a healthy relationship.</p><p>Alya had no right to talk about her as if she knew her. </p><p>Anger and embarrassment swirled inside Marinette and her friends felt it. Tikki pressed herself on her leg, giving the girl the necessary comfort not to burst into tears in front of Lila, no, she wouldn't give her that satisfaction.</p><p>"Things change, Alya" she said as calmly as possible "People change, it's not my fault that you haven't noticed. Just for the record, I wouldn't date Adrien ever, he's not my type, not anymore." Definitely "her type" wasn't someone who hurt her friends "I don't like Lila and I don't have to explain myself about it, I've already explained it many times, after all, I'm sick and tired of talking to you about it, is like talking to a brick wall"</p><p>"MARINETTE, HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL?!" Alya shouted at her, grabbing Marinette dangerously close, Marinette did not back down. Alya took a deep breath before saying, "If you plan to continue with that attitude, we can't be friends anymore! I'm not going to lose Lila's friendship because of your silly attitude!"</p><p>Marinette looked her in the eyes, holding back tears, she wouldn't cry in front of Lila, no sir, she wouldn't give her that victory.</p><p>"I understand. Then, you will lose mine"</p><p>A single statement was enough to shake everyone there, Alya took a step back, astonished, Sabrina gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, Kagami and Chloe stared at her, and Lila internally rejoiced, at least until she saw the look on Marinette's face. Since when was Miss self-righteousness so terrifying?</p><p>"Let's go."</p><p>Chloe and Kagami hurried after Marinette while the other girls lingered outside, Alya and Sabrina unable to process what had happened. <br/>When the three were far enough away, the tears began to flow.<br/>Kagami punched a nearby wall as the treacherous tears left her eyes, Chloe collapsed, her knees unable to support her anymore, and Marinette curled up to mourn a lost friendship. </p><p>"We should move, I don't want to be Akuma's bait" said Kagami, trying to keep her composure, but her cracked voice gave her away.</p><p>Chloe grabbed her cell phone and called her butler, sobbing. A few minutes later, Jean the butler was there, with a worried expression when he saw the three girls so devastated. </p><p>"Get us out of here" Chloe said in a whisper, still crying.</p><p>Within minutes, the three of them were at Marinette's parents' bakery. The three of them rushed downstairs, intending to go upstairs as soon as possible to the young designer's room and try to deal with the pain, but things rarely go as Marinette wants. The mothers of the three girls were at the counter, and seeing their daughters rush in they ran to see what was going on. Seeing the tears running down the cheeks of the three girls, Sabine advanced toward them.</p><p>"What happened?"</p><p>********************************************<br/>A few minutes earlier...</p><p>Audrey Bourgeois, Tomoe Tsurugi and Sabine Cheng were together drinking tea, simple as that. Three friends getting together to talk.</p><p>"So, I can't sabotage Gabriel's next collection because...?"</p><p>Three friends discussing the possible boycott of Gabriel Agreste's commercial brand. </p><p>Typical.</p><p>"It's not honorable, Audrey."</p><p>"Yeah, okay, it's also not "honorable" on his side to raise his son to be a coward and sponsor that little Rossi brat."</p><p>"Audrey, I appreciate your desire for justice, but it's not necessary."</p><p>"Besides, think of all the people who are working for him, it would be unfair to punish them for the actions of their boss." Sabine told her, passing her a cookie "That's not to mention that it could be dangerous for your magazine if it goes out of his way to criticize Agreste."</p><p>"That wouldn't be a problem, my influence is greater than Gabriel's so there's no danger to me, besides, the guy has been slipping since Emilie's disappearance."</p><p>"Humiliating him for his lack of inspiration after his wife's disappearance is wrong, Audrey." Sabine commented "it sounds a bit cruel to me."</p><p>"That's why I hadn't mentioned anything until now, I knew Emilie and respected her, but it's been years, if he can no longer design with the same passion as before, he should hire new designers." then I grumble "Maybe that will give him some time to educate his son about not hurting the best friend of the most talented designer he has around."</p><p>"Certainly, Marinette's talent is notorious, you must be very proud, Sabine."</p><p>"I am" Sabine replied with a smile.</p><p>"Of course, even Tomoe has better taste than Gabriel" said Audrey, as she grabbed a cookie "And you're blind! Literally! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"</p><p>Tomoe sighed as she heard Audrey, she still wondered how it was possible to hit it off with her, when Tomoe had been a teenager, she had avoided girls like Audrey like the plague. </p><p>Her friendship with Sabine was not so unusual, they both had potential as warriors and though it pained her to admit it, Sabine was stronger than she was. </p><p>But with Audrey Bourgeois she had nothing in common. Still, she considered them both her treasured friends. </p><p>Probably the reason Tomoe was so fond of Audrey was because that woman didn't mince words. She never felt that either Audrey or Sabine were being cautious with her. Sabine was nice, but steady  and Audrey was well.... Audrey.</p><p>Curious. </p><p>As a teenager, making friends who didn't underestimate her had been an impossible task. Tomoe believed that most boys and girls her age either looked down on her for being blind, or treated her with pity. </p><p>She hated it. </p><p>Which is why she decided not to bother making friends. <br/>She tried to get Kagami to follow her same path, she didn't need friends in her youth, her daughter didn't need them either.</p><p>How wrong she was!</p><p>Well, now she had friends herself, a friend she couldn't stop arguing with was still a friend.</p><p>Sabine smiled as she watched her friends resume their discussion. For all the things that set them apart, the three women had come together for one reason, all three wanted to be better mothers to their daughters. Audrey in particular had had a very difficult road. Leaving Chloe was bad enough, but hiding Zoé had been the straw that broke the camel's back and nearly destroyed her relationship with both of them.</p><p>Tomoe had a control problem, she was basically a helicopter mom and had had to learn that in order for Kagami to grow up, she had to let her be free.</p><p>Sabine adored her daughter, but she was the first to admit that she had not been the best mother in the world. She could have helped Marinette distinguish between love and obsession, plus, she had been negligent in not noticing the changes in her daughter's life until they hit her with full force.</p><p>All three had learned and all three loved their daughters. </p><p>So it was a blow to the liver to see the three girls run in with tears in their eyes. Sabine advanced toward her as Audrey and Tomoe stood up.</p><p>"What had happened?"</p><p>Her beloved daughter's eyes looked like those of a deer about to be hunted and it hurt Sabine. <br/>"I... we..." Marinette seemed to find it hard to find the words, a sob from Chloe interrupted what she wanted to say "I'm so sorry, mom, I'll tell you later."</p><p>The three girls ran to Marinette's room, leaving the three mothers confused and distressed.</p><p>"Jean, do you have any idea what happened" Tomoe asked when she heard the butler come in.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Lila Rossi."</p><p>"That brat! What did she do this time?!" Audrey asked, clearly upset?</p><p>" I wasn't there, but based on Miss Chloe's sobs, apparently Rossi orchestrated a humiliation for the three of them."</p><p>Jean headed to Marinette's room to make sure the three young ladies were okay, leaving the three mothers downstairs.</p><p>Tomoe strengthened her hold on her bokken as Audrey began to spout colorful curses. Sabine tried to calm herself, she picked up the picture she had on the shelf. It had been taken on their trip together to Parc Asterix, it had been a trip to try and bring Zoé and Chloe closer to one another. It had been awkward at first, but in the end it had been a great day. </p><p>And now the girls were crying. Not a hint of happiness.</p><p>The impotence hit all three mothers at once, all three sat down to think because they honestly didn't know what to do. Outrage began to take control of the three women as they touched the picture frame. How dare Lila Rossi hurt their little girls? </p><p>The three stood like this for almost an hour, trying to contain the rage and pain, until they heard Jean Patrick come downstairs.</p><p>"Apparently, the three young ladies are tired from all this. They have fallen asleep, I recommend letting them sleep."</p><p>Sabine nodded, but in her mind hatred and bloodlust began to swirl, those who hurt her little girl and her friends should pay, and from the expressions on her friends' faces, she wasn't the only one who thought so.</p><p>The rage that consumed them was not  one that provoked outbursts, no, this was a cold fury at the injustices her girls had gone through. </p><p>And then a black butterfly appeared through the window and merged with the photograph.</p><p>At first, the three tried to resist, but the fury was stronger.</p><p>"Style Queen, Ikari Gozen and Queen Verite Did they hurt your precious daughters?" Hawkmoth's voice sounded "I will give you the power to take revenge, you must only..."</p><p>"No"</p><p>Sabine's refusal made Hawkmoth frown.</p><p>"Don't you want to take justice in the name of your daughter?"</p><p>"Yes, yes I do, but not to take revenge."</p><p>"But..."</p><p>"We will accept your power, but under our conditions, we do not seek revenge, but there are many children who need the discipline that only a mother can give." expressed Sabine "Paris will know the terror caused by a mother whose daughter has been wounded. Then we can see about getting those miraculous."</p><p>"Interesting" Hawkmoth said, clearly intrigued. He had been trying to akumatize Marinette Dupain-Cheng for a long time because he knew she would be a very powerful Akuma. Apparently, Marinette had inherited her potential from her mother "What do you have in mind?"</p><p>"If we are going to do this, we will do it together" said Sabine taking Audrey and Tomoe's hands  "leave the rest to us. A mother always knows best."</p><p>Hawkmoth smiled from his lair, he hadn't planned another combined Akuma, but this one was very promising. Style Queen and Ikari Gozen had been powerful, add Sabine Cheng to the mix and, well, expectations were rising.</p><p>Nodding, he let his power take the form dictated by the three women.</p><p>"I'm counting on you, Mothers Wrath."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Me? Uploading chapter on time?</p><p>Yep</p><p>It's going to rain.</p><p>The wonders of having a job that doesn't squeeze every drop of life force out of me. Recommended.</p><p>Anyway, what did you think of the chapter?</p><p>This is the prelude to what led to the creation of Mothers Wrath, the next will be the battle and then the aftermath. </p><p>Now, there is a certain element that I will take very carefully.</p><p>Zoé.</p><p>I love her concept, but at the time I started this story she didn't exist. I'm going to do my best to get her into place. Based on spoilers she is Chloe's half sister and if it turns out she isn't, I don't know what I'm going to do with her.</p><p>I want you to remember that in this universe Miracle Queen never happened.</p><p>Comments, complaints and suggestions are always welcome.</p><p>Thanks for reading.</p>
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